The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 2
by SoLongPancho
Summary: Good-bye.
1. A Little Weird

Chapter 1 – A Little Weird 

            "So, what's the plan?"

            Tetra laid on her too-large bed and grinned tiredly.  "Well, assuming that the wind keeps, we should reach Windfall in three days.  And if we're lucky—which we're not—the wind'll keep…."

            "And if we're not lucky?"

            "Six, could be seven days.  We're stretching it a bit, but the food should last until then."

            "Alright, then what?"

            "Then we head East and reach Dragon Roost in about two weeks, max.  We pick up our Rito contingent, plus some more supplies—free, hopefully—and we're off."

            Link slumped in his chair and watched as Tetra closed her eyes and was silent for a while.  He looked around her cabin, warm with candlelight, the many charts and pictures on her wall flickered with the rolling motion of the Great Sea beneath them.  "That's not what I meant, Tetra."

            She half-opened her eyes.  "And what is it that you mean, Link?"

            "After Dragon Roost.  Then what?  What exactly is our plan?"

            "Well," Tetra closed her eyes again and took a deep breath before continuing, "I was planning on just sailing North until we hit something.  Genius, no?"

            "This is crazy."

            There was a moment of silence in which only the groaning of the ship and the crashing of the waves could be heard.  Then Tetra began to laugh.  Link was taken aback.

            "What's so funny?"

            Tetra had her hand over her mouth and was trying to hold back her snickering.  Once she had composed herself, she sat straight up in her bed and faced Link, eyes wide as a cat's.

            "Who are you?" she asked.

            Link stared at her cautiously.  "Are you feeling okay?"

            "Just answer the question."

            "You know who I am, what's wrong—"

            "Just do it!"

            "Link, Link!  My name's Link!  Happy?"

            They stared at each other for a while.  Link stared into Tetra's large black eyes; he thought they looked like black rupees, if there were such a thing.  It was a while before he noticed the concern.  Suddenly embarrassed, he looked away.

            Finally, she asked, "Link, what's wrong?"

            "Why do you think something is wrong?"

            "Because you're not acting like yourself.  Where's your spirit, Link?  When we first set sail, you were all for finding the new Hyrule.  Now… well, I don't know what's changed.  Think you could clue me in?"

            Link was silent.  When he spoke, his words were slow and deliberate.  "Don't… don't you think it's a little _weird_?"

            There was silence again.  Tetra slowly shook her head and asked, "What's weird?"

            Link lifted from his chair and swept his arm across the room.  "All of this!  I mean, the Triforce, the sages, Hyrule beneath the waves," he paused and looked at Tetra's startled face, "the fact that we are… more than we are."

            Tetra looked down at the floor.  "I still don't follow."

            "Oh, please, Tetra," Link paused for a second, "or is it Zelda?  Tell me, princess, which do you prefer?"

            Tetra stared at Link before rolling her eyes and plopping back into bed.  "Is _that_ what this is all about, then?"  She began to snicker again.

            Link quickly walked towards her, sat on her bed and brought his face close to hers.

            "What are you doing?!" she asked threateningly.

            Link wasn't about to back down.  "Don't you think it's a little weird that at this moment, deep beneath the Great Sea, there is a castle that contains within it a statue that is more than a hundred years old that looks _exactly _like me?"

            Tetra laid quietly and watched the fire in her friend's eyes be replaced by fear—the fear of child abandoned.

            "Tetra," Link turned to face the cabin floor, "I saw myself within that castle.  But it wasn't me, really.  I don't know how to explain it… it's just that…"

            Link felt Tetra's hand on his shoulder.  From behind him, her voice said, "It's okay, Link…."

            "I'm no hero, Tetra.  I did what I did because I had to.  I'm not the person in that statue…"

            Tetra's hand crossed from his shoulder to his head.  Then it was gone.  Link turned to her.  Her eyes were closed again.  "But you are, Link.  It can't be helped.  We are what we are—don't fight it." she said.

            Link just nodded his head as he walked towards the door. 


	2. Guidance

**Chapter 2 - Guidance**

            Outside, the night was clear and blue.  The wind felt strong against Link's body and the sails above were filled and taut.  As he made his way across the deck, a familiar voice drifted from above and aft.  

            "Restless night there, Link?"

            The boy turned to see Gonzo gently manning the helm.  He looked bored.  "Yeah."

            "You didn't fight with Miss Tetra again, did ya?" 

            "Nah, it's not that.  Me and her have been getting along good lately." 

            "That's good," Link tried to see Gonzo's expression through the sail-filtered light; it sounded like he was smiling, "It's good that you two get along, yeah?"

            "I guess."

            Gonzo yawned long and deep, his chest sticking out like a barrel.  "Hey, Link, the wind feels like she's shifting westerly again.  Think you can take care of that, yeah?"

            "Sure."

            Link ran over to the Red Lions, which was suspended over the side of the ship like a life boat.  He hopped in, then braced himself as the boat swayed above the waves below.  When it hit the side of the ship with a loud thud, Gonzo's voice sounded both irritated and concerned.  "You okay there, Link?"

            "Yeah, I'm okay."

            "Good.  Don't do that again, yeah?"

            "Right…."

            Link lifted a plank on the bottom of the boat, and pushed aside several items—his bow and quiver, four empty bottles that carried the scent of his grandmother's soup, an unsent letter from some person he didn't remember from Windfall—until he came upon a folded piece of leather.  Within it was the Wind Waker. 

            Baton in hand, Link hopped back onto the ship and made his way to the front-most end.  "Ready, Gonzo?"

            "Yeah."

            Link lifted the Waker into the starting position and closed his eyes.  He took several slow, deep breathes.  Listening to the wind, he heard the ebbing roar of it as it passed by his ears, the flapping of the sails above as it hit with the force to move the ship across the sea; even his tunic made a sound as the wind flowed through his sleeves and threatened to blow him away like a kite.  He listened for the rhythm of the skies, that silent melody that only the most experienced of sailors—or pirates—could become attune to after long nights of solitude upon the open sea.  It was the meter of the Goddesses.

            When he found it—when his every breath coincided with the ebb and flow of the wind—Link began to conduct.  As he raised his hand high above, he felt the air surge through his sleeve and towards the Wind Waker; when he brought it to his right, he used his free hand to keep his hat from flying out into the sea.  Finally, he swung the baton westward and the wind surged violently before disappearing all together.  Link heard the sound of the sails fall as he opened his eyes.

            Gonzo leaned on the wheel as he watched the boy take out a blue compass from one of his pockets.  After a while, he put it back into his pocket and looked to the spot on the horizon that he knew to be North.

            Slowly he pointed the tip of the Wind Waker toward that direction.  Then he said, "There."

            Gonzo nearly fell as the sails burst forward and the wheel jerked violently in his hand.  The ship was now heading northward again.

            The seasoned pirate watched as Link walked down the stairs and towards his boat again.  "Boy, I tell you Link, I never get tired of that!"

            He smiled beneath his green cap.  "Yeah, I guess it's pretty neat."

            "Now, if the wind just keeps on like this, then we'll be at Windfall in no time at all.  I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh food and drink!"

            Link wrapped the Wind Waker in the leather cloth as he spoke.  "I wish I could make wind for you, Gonzo, then we'd be there in two days instead of three.  All I can do is direct it…"

            "Hah, you make it sound like it's nothing.  Stop being so darn modest and get some sleep, yeah?"

            "Okay."

            Link carefully lowered himself into his boat, put away the baton and took out a thin quilt his grandmother had sown for him before he set sail.  At the center of it was a blue patch with the white outline of a crawfish on it—a piece of his favorite childhood shirt.  He laid down on the bottom of his boat, folded his hat beneath his head and stared at the sky.

            Then he said in a voice indistinguishable from the waves below, "I wish you were here, King.  Then you could tell me where to go…."

            He looked to the carved wooden head of the boat.  It swayed with the wind.


	3. Windfall

Chapter 3 - Windfall 

            They arrived at Windfall four days later.  The island, second only to the Rito's homeland in size, was a thriving merchant city.  Boats of every kind docked in the nearby waters, and there was a constant buzzing as merchants unloaded their wares and sailors stocked up on supplies.  There were two levels to Windfall: the first was the bay, where visitors could rest their vessels for a price, and the second, connected to the bay by a spiraling path dotted by venders, their stalls and a handful of permanent stores, was the residential area, where the few people who actually inhabited Windfall lived.  In the upper level, there was also a school for the live-in merchants' children, the home of the "mayor" of Windfall (the richest man on the island), and of course, the windmill that was the town's namesake.

            On the northwest corner of the island, there was a cliff-like strip of land upon which a single gravestone sat.  Legend had it that the tombstone belonged to the founder of Windfall, though the writing on the grave was in a language that had long since died out.  It is by this strip of land that Tetra docked her ship—illegally, of course.

            The docking officials fumed at the sight, but knowing better than to mess with pirates, they pretended not to notice.  That and the pirates were notorious for being loose with their rupees… when they were in a good mood, at least.

            As soon as the ship was tied down, Tetra was at the helm issuing out commands to her troops.

            "Let's go, let's go, let's GO!" she screamed as Gonzo, Senza, Zuko and Mako tripped over each other to get off the ship.  "Come now!  Last couple of weeks all you've done is sit on your rumps and play cards.  Stretch those legs, people!  We've still got a long way until Dragon Roost!  If it's not pickled, smoked, or jerked, we don't want any!  And remember: water, not ale—we need WATER!"

            At this, Gonzo stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.  "But Miss Tetra!  A little ale never hurt nobody, yeah?  Just one barrel—please?!"

            "No!  A barrel would be harmless IF you could hold your liquor Gonzo!  I'm afraid you all have failed that test one too many times before…"

            "Then how about some fresh meat, Miss Tetra?  Two pigs and I can make a nice stew tomorrow.  Do we have to start our journey with jerked pork?"

            "Alright, alright, alright, just _two_ pigs, but everything else better look like the bottom of my boot and keep like it, too!"

            "Aye-aye!" said Gonzo happily as he scurried to catch up with the others.

            Nudge could not help laughing at the sight.  "You always tell them no ale, Miss Tetra, and somehow they always manage to sneak some aboard.  Why bother?"

            Tetra turned to her towering confident and scoffed.  "Well, how else would you get yours, Nudge, my boy?  You should be thanking me…  How are we on rupees?"

            "Well," said Nudge, running his hand across his face, "Mako's assured me quite a few times already that merely stocking up for this journey would take nearly every last rupee in our treasury."

            "Which, of course, is why we're only half supplying here and hoping the rest comes from the goodness of the Ritos' collective heart, right?" returned Tetra absent-mindedly.

            "Aye, aye, but even with the money we save doing that, we still don't have enough to hire on new hands like you plan on doing.  Nobody worth his salt would work for what you're going to be asking."

            Nudge waited for Tetra's reply, but the captain merely stood looking at a flock of children leaving class for the day.  Soon a game of tag was up and running—or was it hide-and-seek?

            Finally, she said, "Ah, I'll figure something out before tonight.  I think I'm gonna go hit the hay…"  She started for the living quarters.

            Nudge sighed.  "Alright, Captain.  I guess I'll go help the boys sneak their ale…"

            "Good idea," she had stopped short of the door, "one last thing before you go.  Have you seen Link around anywhere?"

            "Last I saw him, he'd sailed on ahead of us while you were still in bed.  Said something about getting supplies of his own and that he'd be back before sunrise tomorrow."

            "Well, he'd better," said Tetra as she shut the door behind her, "for his sake, not mine…"


	4. The Price of Art

Chapter 4 – The Price of Art 

            The last time Link visited Windfall had been more than two months earlier, when, stumped over the location of the last Triforce chart, he had visited a certain teacher to see if he could exchange some joy pendants for rupees, which he desperately needed.  Upon seeing the satchel filled with glittering, butterfly shaped necklaces, the school teacher was so elated that she promptly handed over to Link the deed to her own private island.  The young boy tried to turn down the offer, assuring her that a rupee or two would be more than enough, but the woman would have none of it.  "Besides," she had said, "I kept a little spare change in that hut.  Help yourself, darlin'."

            It turned out that her "little spare change" turned out to be several hundreds of rupees, and, to Link's utter surprise, beneath the building was a giant labyrinth containing the last Triforce Chart.  He promptly took the map to his eccentric friend, Tingle, for deciphering and used the money he found at his own "private oasis" as payment.  Luck had been on his side. 

            However, Link had never been one to trust on luck alone.  So when he arrived at the merchant's isle early that morning, the question of where to go first had been obvious: the potion shop.

            Not much had changed in Windfall since his last visit, but Doc Bandan's shop was a notable exception.  Though the building itself had gone mostly unchanged, the clientele was a different matter entirely.  After several visits to the shop months before, Link had begun to suspect that he had been the doctor's only real customer.  The sight that met him as he walked up the crowded spiral path almost made him drop his bottles.

            A humongous line stretched from within the cramped store, down the spiral path, and threatened to enter the bay area.  As Link walked along the column of people—most of which were elderly men with long, crusty beards and pointed hats—several turned their heads in his direction and others, crankier than most, actually spoke out to him.

            "Hey.  Hey, YOU!  Boy, where are you going?"

            "If it's this store you're heading too, you better stop right there boy, there's a line in case you didn't notice!"

            "Hey, where—where is he going?  No cutting you little runt, no cutting!"

            Link pretended not to hear as he entered the shop, a light blue smoke trailing out the doorway as he passed.  Before continuing, he stopped to tuck his nose beneath his under shirt.  Link still remembered his first visit.  Old Doc Bandam had failed to inform him that the smoke billowing from his concoctions and that filled the windowless shop to the brim was a certifiable hallucinogenic.  In his defense, Link doubted that the potion master was even aware of it himself because he walked around with his nose and mouth unprotected.  Even the men in line stuck their large noses in their robes.

            Link approached the counter and found Doc Bandam haggling with an older woman over the price of a blue potion.

            "Two-hundred and fifty rupees?!  Are you crazy?!" screamed the woman in the witch's outfit.

            "Madam, how dare you attempt to put a price on something that is so obviously _art_!"

            "_Me_?  You're the one charging two-hundred and fifty rupees for that blasted potion!"

            "Madam, if you only knew the trouble I endure—on a regular basis, I may add—in order to obtain the ingredients to make this magical elixir, then you would think twice before questioning the ethics behind my pricing…"

            "Ingredients?  Ingredients!  There's but one stinking ingredient in the damned thing!  And you don't even gather it yourself, you pay sailors to go out and find it for you!"

            "And do you know how much I have _pay _said sailors, madam?  I highly doubt you do…"

            "Stop calling me 'madam,' you bald-headed little ogre!"

            "Ogre?!  Ogre!  Madam, I do believe I feel a price hike coming on…"

            At this the old lady quickly swung her wrinkled face towards Link, much to the boy's surprise.   "Can you _believe _what this man is charging me?!"

            Somewhere down the line, an elderly male voice shouted angrily, "Ah, stick a toad in it, you old hag, we all gotta pay the same price!"

            Link stuttered an "um" as the woman's nose closed in on his face.  Luckily, the potion master interrupted her inquiry.  

            "Now madam, let's not bring a child into our altercation," he said, turning to Link, "by the way, boy, there's a line to get in here, in case you didn't…"  He squinted his eyes as recognition slowly dawned upon him.  "Link?  That you?"

            "Hi, Doc." said Link through his tunic.

            "Well, how are you doing, my boy?  How can I help you?"

            The old hag couldn't believe what she was hearing.  "Eh?  You haven't finished with me yet!"

            "Madam, please!" snapped Bandam angrily, "don't you see that I'm speaking with the boy who _discovered _blue chu jelly?  If not for this little one, you would have to buy a bottle of green potion to heal your magic energy AND a bottle of red to treat your arthritis!  Now, if you'd excuse me…."

            The woman's jaw slowly dropped and she spent the rest of Link's visit staring at him.  A wave of excitement flowed through the line as the news spread.

            Doc Bandam leaned down on his counter. "So, what brings you to my studio of chu delights, my boy?"

            "Just came here to buy four bottles' worth of blue potion, but two-hundred and fifty's kind of pricey.  Maybe I'll just take two…."

            "Oh, nonsense!  If ever someone merited the on-the-house treatment, it's you, Link."

            "Thanks, Doc.  I'll just leave these bottles here and pick them up later.  I don't want to take any more of your time."

            The potion master looked at the boy unbelievingly, then burst into maniacal laughter.  Everyone in the room who wasn't Bandam took a half pace back as the doctor choked on his own amusement.  After a long while, he said, "Wait right there!"

            He swiped the bottles from the counter and ran off to the other side of the store.  Five minutes later, he was back with four bottles of blue potion still hot from the flask.  "Here you go."

            "Thanks, Doc." said Link, heading for the door.

            "No problem, my boy!  Just tell your friends about me and my jelly masterpieces, okay?!"


	5. Recruitment

Chapter 5 – Recruitment 

            The crowd of sailors mumbling before Tetra and her crew collectively swayed as the young captain motioned for them to be silent.  Unfortunately, the majority of them were so thoroughly drunk that it was doubtful if they could even see her, let alone listen.  From atop the bar counter, Tetra cleared her throat loudly and began her pitch as a blonde-headed waitress arrived with another round for the boys.

            "Well," she said, craning her neck until it cracked, "seeing as this is probably as quiet as it's gonna get, let me begin by thanking you all for taking time from your various drinking games in order to hear my proposition."

            From somewhere within the group, a man in a pointy hat slurred, "Oh, it's no trouble at all, Pixie, please continue…"

            "Uh, thanks," Tetra looked around for the man and found him tipping the waitress with a hand to her backside, "but are you even a sailor, sir, because you certainly don't look like one."  

            "And you'd be right, Pixie, I'm no sailor.  I'm a wizard who came to this island to buy a bottle of that blue potion, and I waited _twelve hours_ in that blasted line before coming to this bar for a swig of a potion of another kind, if you know what I mean."

            The sailors exploded into a bout of "here-here's" and several men toasted the lecherous old wizard before Tetra screamed for silence.

            After the mob quieted down to a mumble again, she continued.  "Well, I'm sorry sir, but this offer only applies to sailors.  I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

            The wizard didn't put up much of a fight and shakily headed for the door, glass in hand.  The barkeep sent the leggy blonde after him, all the while screaming, "S—sir?   The _glass_—we need our glass back!  Sir?"

            Tetra sighed.  "I need some men!"

            "My, but aren't we a bit too young to be asking for such a thing, lass?" asked another drunken voice.

            "For a _voyage_, you numbskull!"

            Gonzo tapped Tetra's shoulder and asked if he should break the guy's legs, to which she replied, "No.  Not yet…"

            Sensing the futility of her endeavor, Tetra decided to cut it short.  "I'm looking to hire some extra hands for a voyage to a new land!" she grimaced at her unintentional rhyme, "I can only offer five thousand up front, but any sailor brave enough to join with us is promised an equal share of any and all treasure we may come upon on our journeys.  Are there any takers?"

            There was a long silence as the sailors looked at the girl dazedly.  The laughter that followed could be heard clear out to sea.

            Tetra looked upon the spectacle with quiet fury until a lone voice sprung from the laughter, clear and sober.  

            "So, let me get this straight," started the voice; Tetra searched for the speaker in the drunken mass to no avail, "you're tellin' me that if I agree to join you on your little 'voyage'—the destination of which is unknown, I gather—and risk life and limb for only Din knows how long, my mates and I can earn a whopping five thousand rupees each, _and _a potential cut from a treasure and/or treasures that you don't even know to _exist_?  Is that right?"

            Tetra straightened her back.  "Not quite," she said stiffly, "it's five thousand for the entire group—not each.  I'd leave the splitting up to you."

            The bar was empty in less than a minute.  Tetra sighed in defeat and lowered herself from her pulpit.  The bartender tried to console her, "Tough crowd tonight…."

            The young captain motioned thanks with her hand as she and her crew took a seat at an abandoned table.  Once seated and comfortable, Tetra said dejectedly, "Well, that went about as well as I imagined…."

            Senza ordered a round of drinks while Nudge leaned towards his captain.  "Miss Tetra, if you knew this was going to happen, then what was the point in all of this?  Besides, we have more than enough hands already, why waste rupees on some drunkards when we can use them for more crucial matters—like food, perhaps?"

            The spectacled Mako nodded his head in agreement.  "I'm afraid I agree with Nudge on this one, Miss Tetra.  We've always had an extremely lean crew, even when your mother was in command—just enough to maintain the ship properly, but not to the point that we'd starve to death.  Why do you insist on hiring new men, Miss Tetra.?"

            The young pirate squared her jaw before responding.  The others looked upon her expectantly.  "Actually, I didn't have any particular reason for it, really.  Well, except for…"

            "What?"

            Tetra looked up.  It was Gonzo, looking genuinely perplexed.  It was then that she knew that some explaining was in order; Gonzo was not the type to question orders unless they pertained to food.

            Finally she said.  "I had a dream a couple of weeks ago in which I was sailing to a place I'd never been to before.  In it, I had a bigger crew.  That's the only reason why I did all this.  I guess I took it as an omen or something…."

            Before the others could respond, the bar door swung open and a familiar green figure walked in.  Link looked at the downtrodden pirates and smiled.  "Uh, Niko told me you guys would be here.  Something wrong?"


	6. You're Not Afraid, Are You?

Chapter 6 – You're Not Scared, Are You? 

            It didn't take long for the pirates to get drunk.  Link watched in quiet awe as Tetra's crew guzzled down ungodly amounts of ale, some even taking to dancing in the corner of the room.  To her credit, the captain merely sat quietly, sipping a glass of water with a hint of lemon, and did her best to ignore the behavior of her underlings.  "So, where were you off to today, Link?'

            "Oh, just doing some errands.  Got us some blue potion—four bottles worth for free, if you can believe it—and I went to get my sword sharpened."

            "Is that all you did?" asked Tetra, surprised.

            "Yep."

            "But it's nine o'clock at night.  Did it take you that long to do two things?"

            "Well," said Link, rubbing the back of his cap, "I also visited some friends."

            "Oh, really?" responded Tetra, suddenly interested, "Like who?"

            "Like, you remember that rich girl you saved from the Forsaken Fortress along with my sis'?"

            Tetra thought for a second.  "I think…"

            "Well, her names was Mila and she's not rich anymore.  In fact, the last time I was here I caught her trying to steal some money from a shopkeeper's stall."

            Tetra laughed.  "Ha, sounds like someone I'd like!"

            "Yeah, well, she's changed her ways since then—"

            "Ohhh," lamented Tetra, swirling her drink, "that's too bad.  She could've joined with me."

            "Somehow I don't think you two would've gotten along.  Anyway, I saw her on my way to the smithy and apparently she's working for the same guy she tried to rob two months ago."

            "Well, that's ironic."

            "Sure is," said Link before taking a swig of milk, "she sure has matured since then…"

            Tetra put down her glass and began chewing on a piece of ice loudly.  "Oh, yeah?  How so?"

            Now it was Link's turn to think.  "Well, when I first met her, she was really loud and, uh, harsh.  Kind of a snob, too…"

            Tetra swallowed the slush in her mouth.  "And now?"

            "Well, she's more quiet now—polite.  You know, more like a lady or something, I don't know…"

            "Hmph," said Tetra, lifting the glass to her lips, "you're right—we wouldn't have gotten along."

            An hour passed and the pirates were noticeably winding down.  Both Mako and Zuko were asleep at the counter, strategically placed rags bordering their snoring mouths to keep them from dribbling over the bar.  In the corner, Senza slowly played his harmonica while Gonzo and Nudge clumsily danced their jig.

            The two children sat at their own personal table, talking.  Tetra was just finishing telling Link about the sailor fiasco earlier and the boy was red from laughter.  The hour had gone in much the same way for the two: one would tell a story while the other laughed and interrupted with a story of his or her own.  The only exception had been when Link told Tetra of his trip to the schoolhouse.

            "You mean you gave the deed _back_?!" she had screamed.  It had taken both Nudge and Gonzo to rip her hands from his tunic, and for a good ten minutes afterwards, the young pirate sat silently fuming, save for the occasional, "We could've had an island" remark.

            But other than that, both Tetra and Link simply enjoyed the company of the other as their grown-up friends danced drunkenly.

            "I don't get what they see in this stuff…," yawned Tetra as she reached for Gonzo's mug of ale which he had forgotten at their table more than an hour ago, "it smells _awful_."

            Link looked in Gonzo's direction cautiously.  "I don't know.  I guess you grow to like it as you get bigger…  Are you sure you should be touching that?"

            Tetra studied the glass in her hand.  "Why not?  I'm their captain!  I have a right to wonder about what they're throwing down their throats.  The way these idiots drink it, you'd think the stuff was candy."

            "Maybe it tastes different than it smells?"

            The young girl looked at Link wide-eyed.  A mischievous expression spread across her lips.  "Want to find out?"

            Link craned his neck forward, shocked.  He could feel his heart beating against his chest.  "Are you serious?"

            Tetra sniffed the drink again.  "It doesn't look like Gonzo's drunken from this yet, it's still full.  Come on, Link.  You're not scared are you?"

            Link twiddled his toes rapidly.  "No…"

            "Good."  Tetra smiled briefly before looking over her shoulder in the direction of the bartender.  The woman was busy trying to wake Mako and Zuko from their comas and the waitress was no where in sight.  She turned back to Link.  "Very good."

            Before Link could object, Tetra had taken off his hat and placed the near full glass of alcohol atop his head.  "W-w-what are you doing?" he stammered.  Tetra just shushed him as she put the cap over the mug.

            "Okay," she said conspiratorially, "now we just walk out of this bar very—and I do mean _very_—casually.  You understand?"

            Link sat rigid as a board.  "Got ya'."

            "Good."  Tetra got out of her chair and addressed her crew.  "Okay, fellas, you can stay here if you want, but I'm afraid it's past my bed time, so me and Link are gonna head back to the ship.  Don't party too long, though, 'cuz come morning I'm shipping out with or without you, understand?"

            "…Aye-aye…"

            Link slowly lifted himself from the chair and felt the liquid swoosh above his head.  Tetra and him were just about to leave when the bar door swung open and in came the waitress, bucket of crushed ice in her hands.  She looked down at the two kids and smiled.  "Why, hello."

            "Hi." said Tetra cheerfully.

            Link managed a crooked smile as he felt a drop of cold ale slide through his hair and down his skull.  It emerged from his cap like a stream of sweat.  The waitress watched the liquid as it crawled down the boy's cheek and trickled off his chin.

            "Are you okay, honey?  Looks like you're a little hot…"  The woman lifted her hand to touch Link's brow.  

            Tetra looked on in horror.  Thinking fast, she said, "Hey!  What do you think you're doing?"

            The waitress looked genuinely surprised.  "Well, I—"

            "You just keep your hands off him.  He's with ME!"  

            Link, still smiling, looked to his friend through the corner of his eyes as Tetra carefully slipped her hand into his.  At that moment, he couldn't decide which unnerved him more: the beer atop his head, or the girl in his palm.  

            The waitress blinked several times before smiling even wider than before.  "Oh, _I _see…  How _cute_!  Well, I meant no offense by it.  You two lovebirds go on right ahead, I won't keep you."

            Link and Tetra walked hand in hand down the steps leading to the street until they heard the sound of the door shutting firmly behind them.  Tetra yanked her hand away, saying, "Give me that" as she did so.  For his part, Link quickly grabbed the mug of ale from his head and shook his hair dry.  Tetra protested as some of it splattered on her, and Link laughed as he hopped down the remaining steps and sprinted towards the ship.

            "Hey, wait up!" yelled Tetra as she tried to catch up.

            Link said nothing as he ran.  He just laughed, spilling ale left and right as he did so.  


	7. Sometimes It's Just Better

Chapter 7 – Sometimes It's Just Better… 

            Tetra and Link slowly crept across the deck of the pirate ship, taking special care not to make the old wooden steps creak beneath their feet.  The last thing they needed was Niko waking up to find them sharing a pint.  

            Soon they reached the helm and sat, cross-legged behind the wheel, the glass of ale sweating between them.

            "Okay," breathed Tetra, "Okay…"

            Link's eyes were fixated on the mug.  "Yeah…  So now what?"

            "Well, um, I'm—not sure."

            A long period passed in which nothing was said.  Only the sound of the wind skipping over the rolling sea, the gentle crashing of the waves as they hit the side of the ship could be heard.  Finally, Link lipped his lips and said, "I know."

            "What?" whispered Tetra.   

            "You take the first drink, and then I'll go," said Link, motioning between them, "like that.  If you take one, then I take one, until it's gone.  How does that sound?"

            Tetra's eyes narrowed.  "Why do I have to go first?  How about, _you_ take the first swig, then I'll take one, and et cetera?"

            "Why?  Hmm, let's see.  How about because this was your crazy idea in the first place, huh?  Or, here's another one: 'Lady's first.'  Ever here of that?"

            "Oh, come on, Link.  You know I'm no lady…"

            "Yeah, but it was your idea."

            Tetra looked at him long and hard.  Finally, she relented.  "Okay, okay, I'll go first.  But this is stupid.  I take a drink, then you, but what if it's _really_ nasty, and we just end there, huh?  Where's the fun in that?"

            Link rubbed his eyes anxiously.  "I don't know.  It's your turn to think of something."

            "Um…" Tetra closed her eyes and thought, "okay, I got it!  We'll take turns drinking, and if one of us chickens out, the other person has to ask him or her a question and the other person _has _to tell the truth.  How's that sound?"

            "Alright, but how will I know if you're telling the truth or not?" asked Link, his finger pointing squarely at Tetra.

            "_We'll_ know because _we're _going to shake on it, right now."  She extended her hand to Link, who took it in his cautiously.  They shook firmly, like people of their words, but memories of the incident in the bar kept the contact short.

            And so they began…

            Tetra took the large glass in her hands and slowly brought it to her lips.  The bitter smell of the ale wafted up her nostrils, and the aroma sent shockwaves through the girl's body.  At that moment, she wondered just _what_ in Farore's name had she gotten herself into?  Heart beating loudly in her chest, she tilted the glass and felt the cold, bubbling liquid rush into her mouth.  She put the glass down quickly, holding the ale beneath her tongue.  Link looked on in sympathy—it almost looked painful.

            The young pirate slowly lowered her tongue to taste the strange liquid, and to her chagrin, the stuff tasted exactly the way it smelled.  When she finally swallowed the ale, her eyes were watering and Link seemed about ready to jump overboard.  

            "Your turn." she croaked.

            Link looked at the glass and then back at Tetra.  "Is it bad?"

            She was still breathing hard.  "No, no… piece of cake."

            Taking a deep breath first, Link grabbed the glass and quickly gulped a mouthful of the ale.  It tickled his throat as it went down, and the after taste seemed to echo through his mouth and into his brain.  The boy slouched as he returned the mug.

            Tetra looked upon Link in amazement.  "How was it?"

            The young hero looked at his friend and smiled.  "Well, it wasn't great…"

            The two children stared at each other tiredly before breaking out into laughter. 

            Tetra tried to shush Link between laughs, pointing down toward the storage room where Niko was surely sleeping on his watch.

            It was a futile effort, though.  The two friends ended up falling to the floor giggling, each trying to stifle their laughter in their own unique way.  Tetra pulled her bandana over her mouth, while Link, inspired by her earlier work of genius, stuck his entire head in his cap.  When Tetra saw this, nothing in the Great Sea could keep them both from laughing like idiots into the night sky, and if Niko heard them, it must have been only fleetingly, in the small interim between wakefulness and dreams. 

            Gonzo and Nudge stood quietly watching the two kids by the lone grave, just out of view.  They watched as Tetra took a sip of the ale before shaking her head wildly in disgust, then as Link, becoming bolder with every drink, drank more and more with each turn.  The seasoned pirates couldn't help but laugh.  Quietly, of course.

            "Heh, so THAT'S where my ale went, eh Nudge?"

            "Certainly looks like it…  I should put a stop to this—"

            Nudge made to leave, but felt his friend's arm against his chest, holding him back.  He looked to Gonzo questioningly.

            "Look at that," he said finally; Tetra was gently punching Link in the shoulder as they both laughed, "what do you make of that, Nudge?"

            Nudge shook his head in amusement.  "Looks like two drunk kids to me, mate."

            "Aye," agreed Gonzo, smiling, "only there isn't enough ale in that glass to drunken two gulls, let alone those two.  You know what I see?

            "What, Gonzo?"

            "I see Miss Tetra enjoying herself with a friend.  Nice, yeah?"

            "Yeah.  I always forget that she's only a kid.  She's so serious all the time.  And smart…"

            "Aye, but it's nice to see her acting the part every once and a while."

            "Yeah."  

            They watched as Link took another drink and wiped his mouth with a flourish.

            "Oh, would you look at that," said Nudge, chuckling, "I think he's done this before."

            Gonzo spit good-naturedly into the sea.  "Yeah, he'd better watch it before he ends up like you, yeah?" he said as he turned to leave.

            Nudge followed right behind him.  "Or you…  Hey, how 'bout we scour this town for a little company of our own, eh Gonzo.  Of the more adult variety?"

            "You read my mind, Nudgey.  Quite frankly, I'm sick of socializing with children and midgets all day, yeah?"

            "Yeah, yeah."

            Soon Link and Tetra were alone again.

            Fifteen minutes of playing their little game had left both children feeling queasy.  The almost empty glass of ale still sat between them, but Tetra and Link were sprawled on the deck, facing the stars.

            "Well," said Link, "looks like neither of us is gonna drink anymore."

            "Who's turn is it?" mumbled Tetra.

            "I don't know…"

            "Guess we should start with the questions then, huh?"

            "You first…"

            There was silence while Tetra thought.  Link was about to check if she was awake when she threw her first question at him.  "Have you… ever kissed a girl before?"

            Link brought a finger to his bottom lip and flicked it as he thought.  "On the mouth?" he asked.

            "Anywhere."

            "Oh.   Does your sister count?"

            "Nope."

            "Grandma?"

            "No."

            "We once had a pet pig named Bessie, and…"

            "I mean, like a girlfriend or something."

            "Oh," said Link wobbily, "then no.  You?"

            "Nah," answered Tetra, then quickly added, "but I've had many opportunities.  Everywhere I go, it seems like some boy's tryin' to marry me or something… then I have Gonzo rough him up."

            "Wow," said Link, impressed, "you're so lucky, Tetra.  Back on Outset, there was only one girl my age and she had hair growing out the bottom of her lip and she always threw sand at me.  If it weren't for you fallin' out of the sky and causin' all that trouble, I probably would've had to marry her eventually."

            "Woo… good thing, eh?"

            "Yep.  Is it your turn?"

            "Nah, I think it's yours."

            "Oh, okay, here's one: what was your mom's name?"

            There was a long silence.

            "Why do you ask?"

            Link cleared his throat.  "Uh, you don't have to answer it if you don't—"

            "Daphnes," said Tetra wistfully, "her name was Daphnes."

            Link turned to Tetra.  She was staring at the stars and there was a sad smile upon her face.  "That's a pretty name."

            Tetra looked at him and a single tear slid down her cheek.  Link briefly wondered if it was the ale crying.  "An old family name.  She always used to tell me that it once belonged to a great man."

            Link searched for something to say.  "I bet she was just as great."

            "Thanks," said Tetra, returning her gaze to the sky above, "I miss her a whole lot."

            "Yeah," said Link, looking to the sky as well.  He thought of his little island to the south, where both his grandmother and  Aryll were asleep, warm in their beds and together.  He thought of all the nights between the day he left them to that night—of all that he had missed and would continue to miss.  Then he looked towards the direction of his boat; only the very top of the head could be seen over the edge of the ship, "yeah, I know how you feel."

            Tetra looked at Link for a moment and finally understood why he had been acting the way he had.  In fact, in that moment of quiet beauty, both children, without really knowing how, understood a little more of the other's pain and the pain of all children let alone to drift in this world.  And that night, before their eyes closed and the heavens disappeared, they discovered and shared in the serene knowledge that sometimes it's just better to look at the stars.   


	8. Tetra's Dream

Chapter 8 – Tetra's Dream 

The dream was the same one I had in Gannon's tower.

            Oceans…

                        Oceans…

                                    Oceans…

            Oceans for as far as my eye could see.  I flew over the waves for an eternity.  I saw as the sun peeked over the horizon, watched as it traveled across the sky and set in the West.  Every day brought the same thing.  Nothing.  Nothing but oceans.  Water.  My world.

            When I was younger, my mother would always tell me, as she looked across the Great Sea, to the empty horizon before us, "There lies opportunity, Tetra.  Don't you ever forget that.  As long as we have seas to sail, life will never be dull, and we shall never want."

            I believed that for so long…  I still do, I guess, but in my dream I saw the Great Sea for what it also is.  Empty.  

            "…we shall never want."

            I suppose that is true, of course, assuming that between you and the waves there is land somewhere, and on that land, food.  The ocean itself is a desert.  We are tethered to those small mounds of dirt we call islands; without them, we starve.  There is little fish in the waters.  You could cast for days without so much as a nibble.  A ship can only carry so much food and drink.  Eventually you have to return from whence you came or find a new port to start over in.  Opportunity can only take you so far.

            But for the longest time, this had been the only world I'd ever known.  What else was there?  I didn't know, so I never wanted more, I guess.  But in my dream, there was.  There was more than I ever could have imagined.

            Just when I thought I would float forever across that barren sea, I saw something on the horizon.  Fog.  As I approached it, I could feel the fear of the unknown overtake me.  I knew it well.  As a pirate, you live your whole life with it, gnawing at you from somewhere in the pit of your stomach.  It's there when you see a merchant ship on the horizon—it's there every time you unsheathe your sword—it's there when you rally your men to fight or to die.  My mother was definitely right in that respect: the sea holds within it endless opportunities for getting yourself killed.  

            I flew blindly through the mist, I don't know for how long, until something, a dark line far off into the distance appeared before me.  It grew as I neared, and my heart beat with a mixture of that familiar fear and a new emotion—one that I hadn't felt for so long.  It felt incredible. 

            And as the black line grew into a dark wall hurdling towards me, until it threatened to overtake my entire vision, that wonderful feeling filled my body and drove the fear away until there was none.  And that's when I passed the fog.  Or perhaps it lifted, I don't know.  And there it was.

            A foreign beach.  Untouched.  Beautiful.  The sand was white, shining in the sun like crystal.  Above that, there were trees—but not the kind I had seen all my life.  The trunks were shorter, more stout, and the leaves were small and in the hundreds.  Yes, there was the occasional familiar palm, but for the most part, the vegetation was like nothing I had ever seen before on my journeys across the Great Sea.

            And as incredible as all that was, it was nothing compared to what I saw before me as my feet touched down in the water.  She had her back to me, but I knew it was her—her hair, her clothes, the way she stood, everything.  I saw my mother on that beach, and she was _alive_.  

            I ran to her, but before I could even leave the shallows, something incredible happened.  My mother lifted her hands into the air, and the world began to shake beneath me until I fell.  I looked up and saw as towers of stone and wood rose above the tree line, high above my mother and I.  It was Hyrule Castle, born again and more magnificent than it had ever been!

            And when her work was done, I saw my mother turn to me, and I could feel warmth rolling down my cheeks at the thought of seeing her face again.  

            But in the end, it wasn't her face that I saw…

            All I saw was a little blonde girl kneeling in the water, crying like a baby.  And that's when I woke to see Link standing before Ganon as Hyrule sank around us.  And at that moment, I knew three things in this world to be true.  One, was that I would go North.  The second, that I would need more men if I planned to resurrect a nation.  And the third…

            The third was that my mother had been right all along.  The sea _was_ opportunity.  

            And I swear to the Goddesses above that as long as I have wind in my lungs and behind my sails, I will grab it…

**Author's Note: ** And I'm spent!  I know this a pretty small chapter, but after I take a little well-earned rest (between this and school, my fingers are numb) I'll be back with some kick-ass stuff!  So in the meantime, do me a favor and spread the word.  Wind Waker fics aren't exactly setting this site aflame, so if you like the way I write, tell some like-minded friends to read my stuff.  I'm not one of those writers who claims to "not give a hang whether or not people read him/her."  If I didn't want to be read, then I wouldn't write.  So get me read, people!

Later.

--P4Pancho


	9. Link's Dream

Chapter 9 – Link's Dream 

So there it was.  A chu-chu.  Green and springy and gelatinous, a stupid smile drawn across its face, between me and the treasure.  It was a weird dream.  During the past couple of months, I had become a bonified expert at dungeon-crawling, having fumbled my way through a volcano, a crypt, and a host of other places I rather not talk about now.  As different as those places were to one another, they all had one thing in common—they were dark.  Often times all I had was the light of one measly torch to light my way.  

            But in the dream, everything was different.  All around me was the whitest, brightest white imaginable.  Just white.  No torches, no moblins, no skulls.  Just me, the treasure chest, that stupid blob and white.  Extremely weird stuff.

            I unsheathed my sword.  I didn't really want to kill the thing; chu-chus are about as intelligent as a wad of ear wax.  They only have three reactions to things: fight, flee, ignore.  I was hoping it would flee.  I pointed my blade at the space between its two bulbous eyes.

            Now, this is the point when things started to get weird….

            I try to say "shoo!" but my mouth refuses to work.

            Weirder still, I don't have a mouth!  

            "Hooh!" is about the best I can manage.  Dropping my sword, I bring my fingers to where my lips are supposed to be and all I can feel is skin stretching from my nose to my chin.  Nose to chin.  Nose, chin.  Nose, chin.  Nose-chin-nose-chin-nose—

            I screamed.  "Mmmmm_mmmmmmmpppppphhhhhh!_" 

            And if that weren't horrible enough….

            "Hmph?"  I look down to see my feet start to bob up and down uncontrollably.  I try to get them to hold still and that's when I notice that my sword is back in my hand—except it isn't my sword anymore!  It's _huge_!  Probably twice as long as I am high; way too big for anyone to actually use, and yet I'm holding it with one hand like it it's a feather.  The tip sparkles making "shing" sounds as it does so.

            I looked to the green chu-chu in horror as a floating rectangular… thingy pops into existence beside it.  On it was the following text:

            Beast: Chu-Chu

            HP:  5

            Action

            Before I could "hmph" in confusion, the word "Action" turned red and made a "click" sound before pooping out three more words.  Now the thingy read:

            Beast:  Chu-Chu

            HP:  5

            Action

                        Attack

                        Guard 

                        Flee

            Now, I didn't know what the heck was going on, but I could read.  And seeing that at that moment I couldn't move under my own, instead bobbing up and down like an idiot, the last thing I wanted to see was the word "Attack" turn red and make a "click" sound—which is exactly  what happened next.

            Moving at a clip impossible for a living globule of grease, the chu-chu slid towards me and stopped just short of my boots.  Then it reared its huge "head" back as I desperately tried to get out of the way.  The thing head-butted me with a loud "splat" and the pain was like getting hit in the gut with a water balloon—shot from a cannon at point blank range.

            The lights black out for a second, but I snap out of if in time to see the chu-chu slide back to its original spot with the same impossible speed.  

            Still bobbing up and down against my will, I struggled to catch my breath through my nose.  Another hit like that and I'd lose consciousness, leaving me at the mercy of that jelly monster.  

            At that moment, I remembered something old Doc Bandam had told me about chu-chus that I didn't find very interesting at the time, but that now had taken a whole new significance.  According to him, chu-chus catch their food by first stunning them with a quick bop to the head, then engulfing them into their bodies to digest.  According to the doctor, their favorite foods included crabs and small rodents, but they weren't really picky eaters.  In fact, a chu-chu'd eat just about anything it could get its "hands" on… which would be me if something good didn't happen fast.

            Luckily for me, something good didn't take very long in showing up….

            I looked to my right as a little floating rectangular-thingy of my own appeared.  On it was my name, my "HP"—whatever the hell that was—and most importantly, the word "Action."

            I watched as my "HP" sank from a 1180 to 1175.

            "Oh," I said absent-mindedly, "'HP' is my, uh… Health… Potential…"

            Several beats passed before I realized that I could speak again.  I tried moving my fingers and nearly cried as they wiggled before me.  Strangely enough, though, I _still _didn't have a mouth…  I just talked through my cheeks.

            "Alright, you little bastard," I yelled, fumbling with the curse, "I tried to be nice, but you had to do things the _hard_ way…."

            Pushing the rectangular thingy to the side, I lifted my humongous sword and lunged toward the chu-chu with a murderous scream….

            The next thing I knew I was on the floor with blood running from my nose to my chin.  

            I cursed as my HP dropped from 1175 to 1173.  

            I got up.  Apparently, there was an invisible wall separating me from my target.  I couldn't say that I was surprised—crazy stuff like that was apparently the norm here… wherever "here" was….

            "Okay," I muttered through clenched face, "guess I gotta play by the rules."

            I walked over to my rectangular thingy and stared at the word "Action."  Not knowing what to do, I said, "That one," and waited for it to turn red.  

            Nothing happened.

            The chu-chu made a sound that kind of sounded like laughter.

            That was the last straw.  "Just you wait, jelly-boy," I shouted as I reared my fist, "as soon as I figure this out, you are DEAD!"  I punched the floating thingy angrily.  To my surprise, I heard a "click" sound and when I turned back to the word "Action," it was red and had brought along some friends….

            I tested the air with my sword and found it force-fieldless.

            "Alright then!" I yelled as I punched the word "Attack" and I lunged through the air, whacking the offending blob with the broad side of my sword..  It splattered with a satisfying "fluwapa-splat!" and its HP withered down to zero.

            A triumphant fanfare rang out of nowhere, while I, for no reason at all, rested my sword atop my shoulders and jutted my other arm forward, my thumb pointing towards the heavens.

            Then I said, "That was a close one!" while my "Exp. Points" accumulated in my floating rectangular-thingy-thingy.

            After the music faded away and I regained control of my body, I stood in silence for a long while as the green remains of the chu-chu jiggled in the white.

            I looked at the treasure tiredly.  "God*, that was stupid…."

*          *          *

            I walked over to the chest.  It was a small thing, standing no taller than about two feet; its wood was splintered, moldy, and the iron bracing was rusted and seemed ready to crumble.  The lock in particular was practically dust, so when I used my sword like a crowbar it literally burst in a cloud of gray and red.

            I kicked the thing open and was greeted with nothing: no weapon, no key, no rupees—not even a stinking necklace….

            Sighing, I was about to turn to leave when something caught my eye.  From the bottom of the chest came a tiny glimmer of light.  

            "Well, well, well," I said reaching into the darkness, "guess this wasn't a total loss…."

            I groped around until I felt something smooth and cold—like a rupee.  My heart began to beat faster.  

            The jewel was the size of a normal rupee, only a little larger than a fingernail, yet it felt heavy in my hand.  I brought it up to the light.  If I hadn't already been asleep, I probably would have fainted.  

            I thought it was only a legend.  

            A silver rupee… the Jewel of War.  It was real—the rupee that had brought two great kingdoms to their knees in the time before even the Great Hero was real.  And I had one in my grasp.

            I peered into the jewel.  It was perfect.  No clouding.  Pristine.  Priceless.  With this, Grandma and Aryll could have whatever they desired; they'd never have to work for anything ever again….

            Slowly, I brought the silver rupee to my wallet as if it were something fragile—as if the slightest breeze could shatter it.  

            Then it began to shake.  Within my clenched fist, the rupee began to tremble.  Surprised, I looked at my hand as the shaking became stronger and stronger, until my hand was a blur of movement before me.  

            Finally, it became unbearable.  I let go and the rupee leapt from my hand and hung motionless in the air, inches from my face.  I watched as a black speck appeared at its core and slowly spread like an evil fog until the jewel was like the essence of a storm out at sea.  

            It was now a black rupee.

            I looked on in horror as the rupee shattered and its dark contents spilled onto the white like bile.  It was then that I realized that it had all been a dream—a nightmare!

            The black puddle grew rapidly and I had to back away to keep from becoming stained.  After a while, it grew still, and I watched from several feet away as it shone murderously in the white light.

            And that's when he emerged.

            A dark giant from a past no one remembered, save for the legends passed down through the ages.  It rose from the oily muck, towering over me, with a face that was mine and not mine at the same time.  The statue of the Great Hero—black as fresh blood—stood staring down upon me with eyes of fire.  

            The look on his face was of rage and anguish—an expression straight from Hell—and it spoke to me.  

            _Your life will be suffering from now on…._

I fell to my knees.  

            …._then you will vanish…._

*The inhabitants of the Great Sea say "God" in reference to one of the three Goddesses.  Try to guess which one!  Well, actually—to be perfectly honest and all—there's no reasoning for this other than the fact that "God, that was stupid" sounds better than "Goddesses, that was stupid."  My responsibilities as a writer supercede those as a video-game geek.  Sorry…. 


	10. The Zarep Brothers

Chapter 10 – The Zarep Brothers 

            Feet stepping on creaking boards.  The grunting of tired men.  The snap of wind against cloth.  The sound of the ocean encompassing.

            Link groaned as he woke.  The noonday sun pierced through his lids, turning his world red.  He brought his hand to his brow and slowly opened his eyes.  From under the shade of his palm, the world outside seemed to glow white in the dry heat.

            "Well, well.  Look who's up…."

            Link moved his hand and squinted at the large blob that sounded like Gonzo.  He groaned a hello.

            "How do you feel, lad?"

            Link slowly sat up, blinking like he had something in his eyes.  "Bad."

             "A bit too much to drink, yeah?"

            "Yeah, I—"

            Link stared at Gonzo through dry eyes, not sure of what just occurred.  Gonzo stared back with a cracked smile.

            Finally, Link asked, "You… saw us?"

            Gonzo lowered his head and shook amusedly.  "Aye."

            Before Link could stutter an apology, the pirate continued.

            "Your eyes feel puffy and ache, don't they?"

            Confused, Link hesitated to answer.  "Yeah…."

            "And your head feels like it's falling into itself?"

            "Uh-huh."

            "You mouth tastes like vomit."

            Link nodded as he ran his tongue across his teeth.

            Gonzo laughed as he turned to leave.  The burly sailor walked down towards the deck with his hands in his pockets.  "Welcome to our world, son…."

            Link looked on as Gonzo made his way to the other end of the ship where Tetra stood watching over the pirates as they lugged barrels and crates onto the deck.  He stopped to say something to the young captain and pointed in Link's direction before jogging off to help Nudge lower a huge box of pickles with the crane.  The young boy couldn't help blushing in embarrassment as Tetra turned to him and laughed.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            "Here, chew this."

            Link took the leaf from Tetra's hand and studied it academically.  It didn't look edible….

            "It's mint," said Tetra turning towards Windfall, "chew it, it'll make you feel better."

            "Is it medicine?"

            "No, but it'll fix your breath…."

            Link looked at Tetra, offended.  He slid the mint into his mouth and chewed.  "And you would know this from experience?"

            Tetra sniffed as if he had said something funny and spat something green over the side of the boat.  She reached into her pocket and took out another leaf.  

            "Nudge gave these to me," she said, popping the mint into her mouth like candy, "tell me if you want some more, okay?"

            Link stuck his hand out to receive another.  Tetra gave him two.

            "That ale's nasty stuff, eh, Tetra?" 

            "Tell me about it.  If I didn't have to watch over these lug heads, I'd still be asleep."

            Link watched silently as Tetra chastised Zuko for slacking off.  When she was finished, there was a long pause in which only the sound of their chewing could be heard.

            Trying to revive the conversation, Link asked, "Uh, why didn't you wake me up sooner?" 

            "Would you have appreciated it if I did?" responded Tetra quickly.

            Link chewed for a second.  "No, I guess not."  He smiled.

            "Besides, you kind of looked peaceful lying there on the deck.  Like a baby or something."

             "Who are you calling a baby?!" exclaimed Link before punching her on the  shoulder playfully.

            The girl didn't seem to notice.  "Had a dream last night."

            Link was taken aback by the sudden change of subject.  Thoughts of the night before returned to him.  "Yeah, me too."

            "Mm-hmm," said Tetra stepping towards the bow of the ship, "we'll trade stories later.  Someone's coming."

            Link turned to the direction where Tetra was looking.  Nudge was talking with a group of men near the Pictobox Shop.  The smallest of them, a tanned looking man with a sharp goatee, seemed to be the leader, as he was the one who spoke with Nudge as the other three stood silently behind him, looking from one to the other.  They towered over the other two,  looking like they could rip a pig in half with their fingers.

            "They look like trouble." whispered Link.

            Tetra peered at the man with the goatee.  "Maybe…."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            Nudge made his way to Tetra as the captain gazed over the heads of the four men.  The three big ones formed a wall behind the goateed leader who stood casually leaning on one leg, a confident smile stretched across his face.  

            Before speaking to Tetra, Nudge took the time to greet Link.  

            "Hey there— how'd you sleep?"

            The young boy lobbed a wad of chewed mint into the ocean.

            Nudge didn't seem surprised and said, "Heh, about what I expected…." before taking his place beside Tetra.  Having counseled her for most of her life, he was eager to share his opinion of the four strangers with his captain.

            "What do they want?" asked  Tetra.

            "To work," said Nudge, matter-of-factly, "they want to come on board with us."

            "Huh," said Tetra quietly, "well, do they know what I'm offering."

            "Aye."

            "And they're still interested?"

            Nudge paused for a moment.  "Well, the short one over there did ask if the fee was negotiable."

            Tetra spat her mint in the direction of the men; it landed a few feet from the goatee-man's boot.  His smile didn't waver.

            "And what did you tell him, Nudge?"

            "No.  Never."

            "And what did he tell you?"

            Nudge smiled mockingly.  "'We'll see about that.'"

            Tetra also seemed amused.  "So the potential help plans on making some demands, eh?"

            "Not demands, per say, madam," came a gruff voice from below, "just some negotiations—there's nothing wrong with a little negotiating, is there, Cap'n?"

            Tetra lowered her gaze to address the goateed man.  "Maybe, maybe not.  But there is a problem with speaking out of turn—especially in the presence of your _potential_ captain."

            Goatee-man bowed theatrically, motioning his brothers to do the same.  "My apologies, my lady.  Meant no offense by it—ain't that right, fellas?"

            "Of course not!" shouted the right-most giant.

            The one to the left snorted bemusedly.  "Even if he did, I doubt you'd be quick enough to catch it…."

            The middle man simply looked at Tetra emotionlessly.  Then to Nudge.  "No.  Never."

            Nudge met the giant's gaze.  Link watched as the pirates fists tightened behind his back. 

            "Miss Tetra," said Nudge calmly, "I humbly advise that we cease 'negotiations' immediately—we can do well enough without the likes of them—"

            "That so," said goatee-man, "is that why you had half the sailors in town drunk at the bar last night?"

            Nudge brought his hands crashing onto the bow as he leaned over the edge of the ship; behind him, Link looked on in surprise as he saw the pirate lose his temper for the first time.  "Bite your tongue, wretch!  You will speak when spoken to, lest we decide to leave you on this stinkin' island, or worse…."

            The man's smile straightened slightly.  "My apologies again." he said with a small nod.

            From the corner of her eye, Tetra watched as Nudge stepped back stiffly.  He was about to apologize for the outburst, but the captain stopped him with a motion of her hand.

            Tetra brought her hands to her hips and studied the goateed man.  She wondered if his cheeks hurt from smiling so much.  "You got names?"

            Goatee-man played at embarrassment.  "Oh, dear me, where are my manners?" he said, patting his shirt like he was looking for something. "This big lug to the left of me, his name's Flammy.  And to my right, well, his name's Cruton—"

            "I meant your real names."

            "Well," said Goatee-man smiling through his annoyance, "look who's interrupting who, now?  Our mother gave us these names, may she rest in peace."

            "You're brothers?"

            Goatee-man ignored the question.  "As for the fine gentleman behind me, his name's Joe.  Just Joe.  He doesn't like nicknames—just a warning to you fellas…."

            Nudge sniffed.

            Goatee-man ignored that too.  "Which leaves little ol' me.  My name's Junior, Cap'n.  Pleased to make your acquaintance."

            Tetra couldn't help smiling at the man's bravado—in addition to their funny names.  "I wish I could say the same but you gentlemen seem eager to waste my time.  We're already running late as it is.  Screw 'negotiations'—the offer stands as is.  Take it or leave it."

            There was a long silence in which Tetra stood staring down upon Junior's grinning face.  Link looked on from behind, hidden from the view of the four men.  He didn't like this.  All the "negotiations"—the guarded thoughts, phony smiles and unsaid insults—were beginning to make his hair itch.  Why didn't Tetra just turn them away, or Nudge start a fight?  Either would have been preferable to this….

            Finally, Junior responded.  "You know, I wonder what it would take to drive a captain—of a pirate ship, no less—to humiliate herself in front of a mob of unschooled, unwashed and uncivilized sailors… and willingly, no less?"

            Tetra's eyes slit.

            Junior continued.  "Why, I can't really think of a reason for why any self-respecting leader would do such a thing.  Unless…  Hmm, let me think…  Well, unless, of course, she was desperate, perhaps?  Maybe that's it.  But, of course, you never can tell!  She might be crazy, you never know!"

            Tetra slapped her hand across Nudge's chest to keep him from leaping overboard.  Below them, Gonzo and the other pirates seemed poised to pounce.

            Junior ignored it all and, seeing victory within his grasp, smiled wider than ever.  It was a crazy smile.  "So, you see captain, anyone crazy enough—or desperate enough—to do something like that, I gather, _must_ need the help more than the help needs her!"

            Link looked to Tetra.  What _was _she doing looking for help?  There were plenty of hands on board, including his own.  Wasn't that enough?

            Junior's smile disappeared, and when he spoke, there was blood in his voice.  "So we'll be takin' a fifteen hundred rupees up front, each, and a fair share of any treasure we come across in that new world of yours.  Take that or leave it."

            "You know you got a familiar voice there, pal?"

             Junior's eyes opened wide, and his mouth stretched into a wide smirk.  He shrugged and shook his head.

            Tetra brought her hand to her chin in a pensive gesture.  "I got a scenario for you. What would make a man—a short little man who could walk into a crowd and disappear because he's so darned short—"

            Junior's lips split, revealing large teeth.

            "—try to argue a group of sailors out of a job?  I mean, what kind of person would do that, hmm?  A crazy person?"

            Tetra let the idea float in the air for a while.  Junior seemed ready to retort, but was cut-off by the Captain.

            "No.  No, not a crazy person.  What, then?" said Tetra, turning to Nudge.

            Nudge was eager to get in on whatever she was cooking.  "I don't know, Miss Tetra, what?"

            "I'll tell you what.  A person who wants the job all for himself.  A desperate person.  Someone like—well, you, Junior.  You and your mates…."

            Cruton laughed in a high pitched voice and slapped his knee.  "Dang, Junior, she's quicker than I thought."

            "That's right, Cruton, my boy."

            "That's right." said Tetra, then, shouting to her men, "Get that last barrel on deck, we're setting sail!"

            "What?" exclaimed the four brothers simultaneously.

            "Aye-aye!" answered Tetra's men.

            They lugged the barrel in record time and were bringing up the anchor as Junior and his brothers tripped over each other to get onboard.

            "Fine!  Fine!" yelled Junior as he dangled over the edge of the already moving ship.  "Five thousand it is!  Five thousand's just dandy!"

            Tetra laughed as Cruton and Flammy pulled their brother onto the ship.  "Welcome aboard, fellas.  But remember: you give us any trouble and you're gonna be swimming back to Windfall…."

            "You don't have to worry about that," said Joe militarily, "when you hire the Zarep brothers, you hire the best."

            Tetra gave him a thumbs-up as she made her way to her quarters.

            Nudge followed behind, visibly annoyed.  Link tapped him on his shoulder.

            "What is it, Link?"

            The boy looked to Junior, who was lying on the floor trying to catch his breath.  "It's obvious you don't like those guys, so why'd you bring'em to Tetra in the first place?"

            Nudge sighed and rubbed his hand across his face.  "It doesn't matter whether I like them or not.  In the end, the final say is Miss Tetra's, and Miss Tetra's alone.  I just advise her every now and again.  A lot of good that did me today…."

            That last part Link could of sworn he heard Nudge mutter beneath his breath as he left.


	11. Testosterone

Chapter 11 – Testosterone 

            The Zarep brothers lived up to their promise in that they didn't cause any trouble throughout the entire two week trip to Dragon Roost.  Much of this was owed to their isolationist tendencies.  When they weren't taking orders from Niko on how to swab the deck, or arranging the large crates of supplies in a more efficient manner, they spent most of their days joking amongst themselves, playing cards and, when they were really bored, sparring against each other in the cargo hold.  They even ate at a different table than the rest of the pirates, which suited Gonzo, Senza, and especially Nudge just fine.

            "Something about them just doesn't seem right," Nudge would say to the others as he scooped the last of his stew with bread, "not right at all."

            The others would skulk down and mutter in agreement.

            "They're way too quiet, yeah?" Gonzo would half say, half ask.

            Senza, who didn't normally speak much, would stroke his beard and say, "Yeah, and when they do talk, they're always so quiet…  Like now.  Look at'em over there…."

            For their part, the Zareps didn't care much for the pirates.  In fact, one of their favorite games to pass the time was affectionately dubbed, "Just How Stupid…."

             "Okay, okay," Cruton would say as his brothers chuckled over their stew, "the one with the big nose over there, Gonza or whatever, is stuck on a deserted island with only a deku nut and a pistol* with one ball.  So… just how stupid is he?"

            Flammy would always be the first to try.  "Uh, he's so stupid that… uh… ah, damn!  I just lost it…."

            Joe would simply flash a rare smile and ask Junior to think of one.

            "Okay, okay, shush," Junior would say holding his hands up, "I got it.  He's _so stupid _ that he'd shoot the _shell_ and choke on the _nut_!"

            Their laughter would travel across the mess hall to the pirate's table prompting them to look over their shoulders in disgust.  Junior's booming howl in particular raised the ire of the three sailors.

            "The short one smiles too much, yeah?"  Gonzo would say through clenched teeth.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            Link and Tetra spent most of their free-time together in her cabin or in the lookout post between Zuko's watches.  Though they generally enjoyed their conversations together, a strain was beginning to grow between them.  It began when they discussed the dreams they had had on the night before they set sail from Windfall.

            "…and his eyes were like—like fire or something.  That's when I woke up."

            Tetra had listened to Link intently, a touch of sympathy in her eyes.  It was obvious that the experience had left the boy rattled.

            "You shouldn't pay too much attention to it, Link," she had said, "it's probably normal for you to be a little freaked out, considering what you've been through."

            Link had slumped in his chair and stared at the ceiling.  "I don't know—I guess I don't like the idea of not being just myself.  Life was hard enough just being me, now you're telling me that I have to live up to some legendary hero who I may or may not be the reincarnation of?  It's insane…."

            "You see," Tetra had said, sitting up on her bed, "that's you're problem right there!  Why look on the negative side of it, huh?  If what Ganondorf said was true, then you're destined for great things.  I mean, you already saved the world and all…."

            "Forgive me if I don't feel comforted by anything that man said."

            Tetra was undeterred.  "Come on!  Don't you think it's even a little bit interesting that you were born to be a legend?  Not even a little?"

            "Hold it," Link had said, "you mean to tell me that you're not bothered by the fact that you're the princess of some undersea kingdom on top of being just you?"

            The young pirate had simply shrugged.  "I've always acted like royalty in front of my men.  Being a princess just means that I can boss people around with even more authority than before."

            She had meant it as a joke, but something about the way Tetra was talking hadn't sat well with Link.

            "Besides," she had said, "Hyrule won't stay 'undersea' for long.  I'll make sure of that…."

            Link had simply smiled at Tetra and her boast even though the look on her face had sent a small chill down his spine.  That night, he had left her cabin thinking of the King of Red Lions—wondering what exactly he would have thought of this whole journey.  

            Link wished he knew.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            On the fourth day of the journey, the ill-blood brewing between the pirates and the Zarep brothers came to a head.

            "My brothers and I wish to challenge you to an arm-wrestling competition," proclaimed Cruton to Gonzo, Nudge and Senza during lunch, "in an hour.  What say you?"

            "Where?" asked Gonzo.

            "Right here."

            "Who?"

            "You three versus Flammy, Joe and myself.  Junior will referee."

            "We'll be bringing a referee of our own if you don't mind."

            "Not at all."

            "See you in an hour."

            Cruton returned to the Zarep table and relayed the pirates' acceptance of their challenge to Junior.  He smiled and nodded his head approvingly.

            "I'm tired of walking on egg shells in this derelict," he whispered, "it's time to set a couple of things straight here.  Once they know where they stand against us, they'll think twice before sending another dirty look our way."

            "That and it's gonna be fun crushing them." grinned Flammy.

            Junior couldn't have agreed more.  "Aye, it will.  These guys are big enough that they might give you three an adequate workout—maybe."

            At the pirate table, a hush fell over the competitors as they contemplated how much they were going to enjoy wiping that fat grin off of Junior's face.

            The hour passed quickly and soon the pirate team was filing into the mess hall.  The Zarep brothers waited at their table, stretching their arms across their chests.  Junior sat flaccid in his chair as if he were watching clouds drift through the sky; he didn't even acknowledge the three pirates when they entered.

            After a while of standing in silence, Nudge cleared his throat.

            Still staring at the ceiling, Junior said, "I thought you were bringing a judge of your own.  We're waiting on you, gentleman.  My brothers are ready to go."

            "He'll be here.  You don't have to worry about that." replied Nudge calmly.

            "Good," said Junior, "we won't then."

            The pirates then moved to their own table and began stretching themselves in silence.  Nudge peered over to the brothers.  Unlike Junior, who was leanly muscular in his own right, the three competing Zareps were tall and sculpted, massive beneath their simple white tunics—stronger than any of them could ever hope to become.  

            Nudge recalled what he had said to his crew minutes before.

            "There's no way we're going to beat these guys on strength alone," he had said, "our best bet is to try to tire these guys out.  It must be hard work flexin' all them muscles.  We just got to last a little bit longer than they do.  If we can do that, we just might have a chance."

            Link arrived soon after.  He was not alone.

            "Ah, Miss Tetra," exclaimed Junior as the young captain approached, "I didn't know you were a sports fan.  Welcome, have a seat!"

            "Can it, Junior," said Tetra, "it was brought to my attention that you Neanderthals were planning on arm-wrestling each other for sport—"

            Nudge glared at Link, who shrugged innocently.  Maybe it was Mako….

            Tetra continued.  "I guess it was to be expected.  After all, how could anyone _not _resort to childish shows of strength after a whopping FOUR DAYS at sea together?!"  

            Even the Zareps seemed flustered by the girl's anger.

            Tetra looked around at the roomful of frightened men.  Junior thought he saw something approaching satisfaction in her eyes.  

            "However," started Tetra again, "seeing as how you all have been working so darn hard, including, to my surprise, the Zarep brothers…."

            The brothers tipped their heads at the accolade.

            "….and the fact that even I am starting to feel a little bored being holed up on this boat," she winked at Link before continuing, "I have decided not only to humor your little testosterone fueled pissing contest, but to help judge it as well."

            There's was a collective sigh of relief amongst the men.  Cruton even gave the captain a standing ovation, which made even the pirates chuckle against their will.

            After a minute or so of indulgence, Tetra raised her hands for silence.  "This is how it's gonna be.  There are six competitors and three judges which means that that many matches can take place simultaneously.  Zarep brothers, bring your table over here by me; that goes for my crew too, bring your table over."

            Soon the two tables were sitting side by side and the task of pairing could begin.

            "Alright," said Tetra, standing between a canyon of muscle and hair, "competitors can choose whoever they want to wrestle, unless, of course, they are challenged by someone else.  We'll alternate between teams.  Team captains, step forward."

            Instinctively, both Nudge and Junior stepped forward.

            "Alright, gentleman.  Rock, paper, scissors to decide who goes first."

            After several ties, Nudge managed to crush Junior's scissors with a decisive rock.

            "Okay, Nudge, your team goes first."

            "Fine, I'll choose first if that's okay with you guys." said Nudge turning to his team.  The others didn't mind.

            "Alright then.  I challenge Joe."

            The Zarep brother stared at the pirate as he stretched his neck to the cracking point.  "Accepted."

            "I'll go next," growled Flammy, stepping forward, "I'll take red-nose over there."

            Gonzo's eyes opened wide—he was not used to being insulted so lightly by anyone other than his captain.  "Miss  Tetra, tell Flippy, or Flommy, or whatever the hell his name is that I accept, yeah?"

            Tetra relayed the message.

            "I guess that leaves me," said Senza in a quiet voice, "I challenge Mr. Giggles over there…."

            Cruton laughed meanly.  "Bet it was a tough choice, huh?  Considering I'm the only one left and all."

            The competitors took their places at the tables and the judges divvied up the matches between them.  Link would supervise Gonzo and Flammy, Junior would referee Cruton and Senza, and Tetra would make sure that Nudge and Joe didn't rip each other's arm off.

            They used rolled up rags to determine the winners; first wrist to touch one, lost.

            "Alright, gentlemen," ordered Tetra, "clasp'em!"

            Three simultaneous claps later and the arm-wrestling competition was ready to begin.

            Tetra lifted her arms up high and commenced the countdown.  "Alright, everybody!  Three!  Two!  One!  GO!"

*Pistols exist in the Great Sea, but the technology is so new and the parts so expensive to manufacture that they are not widely used… yet.  Thank God, right?


	12. Insults, Curses, and Blood

Author's Note ~ And now without further ado, I give to you Chapter 12!  I know you guys have been waiting for it for a long time, so I cut it short a bit, but not without a sacrifice.  Upon reading this installment, you'll not only have to contend with the bitter wait for the next chapter, but the conclusion to the cliff-hanger I've ended this one with!  Do you hate me yet, people? 

            Well, that's enough yapping on my part.  Enjoy Chapter 12 as it represents some of my best writing in ages.  'Till next time!

P4Pancho

Chapter 12 –             Insults, Curses, and Blood 

            The arm-wrestling was taking longer than the three judges expected.

            Junior, who was kneeling beside the table where Cruton and Senza were battling it out, rested his head on his crossed arms as his brother tried to psyche out the tight-lipped pirate.

            "I have a question," Cruton began, a bead of sweat slithering down his pointed nose, "how does it feel being so damn ugly?"

            Tiredly, Junior looked over to Senza to see if he would respond to the insult, but as he expected the bearded pirate simply stared at the table and breathed.  Junior returned his gaze to their clenched hands, which slowly neared Senza's rag, a familiar sight.  For more than ten minutes, Cruton had had his opponent on the ropes several times only to be pushed back to the center by a colossal effort on Senza's part.  Sure enough, inches away from defeat, the pirate summoned another burst of strength and fought the Zarep off for the moment, at least.

            Junior respected the effort but knew that the pirate couldn't hold out forever.  Out of all the men under Tetra's command, Senza had bothered him the least.  Out of all of them, only he knew the value of silence.  He reminded him of his brother Joe.

            Cruton, on the other hand, behaved as if he didn't know the meaning of the word.

            "If you were an animal, what would you be?  A pig?  Maybe a gull, or a guppy or something?  Me, I think I'd be one of those man-fishes people are always talking about, you know?  The ones that pop out of the water and talk to you?  Yeah, if I could be any animal in the Great Sea, I'd pick the one that could talk, definitely.

            "You know what other animal can talk?  Well, do ya?  Actually, I don't know if it's an animal, really—monster's probably a more fitting name, but what the hell, right?  Moblins—I think that's what they're called—can talk.  It kind of comes out all grunty, though—I hear those guys have _horrible_ grammar.  'Me Garbor!  Me gonna stab you in da neck and eat your eyeballs,' that sort of thing.

            "You know…  Now that I think about it, you know what?

            "Yeah… You look exactly like a one of those moblins!  Yeah, I mean, look at you.  With that disproportionately large head, beady eyes and that wide nose of yours, well, you could probably stroll into the Forsaken Fortress and have dinner with one of those stinkin' monsters and nobody would be the wiser!  Speaking of stinking, when's the last time you bathed, boy?  You smell like a pork ass in heat…."

            And all of that he said within the first five minutes,

            In fact, Junior had tried to shut his brother up early on in the match on the grounds that he was being unsportsman-like, but Senza had merely shook his head.  "No, it's okay.  Let him talk if he wishes…."

            And so he did.  Constantly.  So much so, in fact, that he was running out of material.  Junior rolled his eyes as Cruton thought of a million ways to call Senza ugly when in reality he was no homelier looking than anybody else on the ship.  

            "You probably think I'm exaggerating, but I'm talking serious now.  You know you're ugly don't you?  I mean, you have mirrors on this rig, I've seen'em.  How can you walk around looking the way you do and not feel guilty about exposing people to such unpleasantness?  Seriously, you should be _ashamed_ of yourself.  I mean, for the love of Nayru… did your father get your ass and your face mixed up when it came time to beat you or something, I mean yeesh…."

            "You're so ugly that when you look at the ocean, the seas part."

            "If I had a face like yours, I don't know what I'd do.  Is suicide against our religion, Junior?  Do we even have a religion?  And would it really be considered suicide and not urban beautification?"

            "Two chu-chus are sitting on the beach, minding their own business, and in comes Senza wearing nothing more than his knickers…  You know, I'd finish this joke if the punch-line weren't so gosh-darned predictable…."

            "You're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly…."

            "Hey, pal.  Quick before someone sees—brush that thing off your face…  Oh!  You mean it's a _beauty _mark?  Who says irony's only found in books?"

            "If I had the choice between looking like you and being castrated by a cannon ball and a piece a string…  Well, let me put it this way—LET HER RIP!"

            "You can hear me right?  And see me?  Sorry, but anything that looks like that has got to be broken somehow…."

            "Gosh darn you're ugly.  Your mother should be thrown in prison for releasing upon the world the virulent repugnance that is you…."

            "You know, in all fairness, you should be disqualified for using an illegal distraction—your face."

            "Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly, ug-guh-lee!"

            "You're so ugly that looking at you leaves a bad taste in my mouth…  If I could, I'd put a 'Beware of Face' sign on your face…  They say there's someone for everyone, but I think you're the exception—aren't there laws against bestiality?  Imagine how this guy's kids are gonna look like, Junior… for their sake I hope they're born with hoofed feet and snouts and take after—"

            And that's when it happened.  Arm trembling, less than an inch away from defeat, Senza finally lifted his eyes and spoke.  "Your mother?"

            Junior raised his head as his brother self-destructed.

            "What?!" shouted Cruton in a mixture of anger and disbelief.  Senza felt the Zarep's grip ease for only a moment—it was more than enough.

            The loud thump that filled the room as Senza drove Cruton's wrist into the rag and his knuckles onto the splintering wood of the table caused everyone, including the two remaining pairs of wrestlers, to gaze in the direction of the first defeat of the night.  

            As the others watched on in silence, Cruton slumped in his chair, his jaw slack, staring at the pirate as he rose to his feet.  Wrist in hand, Senza again lowered his gaze.  Junior eyed his brother in silence.

            After a while, Senza looked to Cruton with only the tiniest smidgen of satisfaction on his face.  "I didn't mean it by the way…." he said before walking over to Nudge's match.

            Cruton turned to his brother unbelievingly.  The head Zarep simply shrugged and proclaimed Senza the winner of the first match.  If there was resentment in his voice, the others didn't notice.

            Link stood between Gonzo and Flammy like the neglected child of two warring parents.  Never before had the young boy from Outset heard such salient filth spew from the mouths of men.  His pointed ears literally burned when Tetra, upon hearing a particularly crude remark, turned to him as if he were the one with the sailor's tongue.  Not knowing what else to do, he simply shrugged and tried, once again, to calm the two competitors before they killed one another.

            Carefully placing his hands on their shoulders, Link pleaded. 

            "Gentleman, is the language really necessar—"

            "Why don't you just give up, pirate?" asked Flammy through clenched teeth.  "Can't you see that your strength is no match for mine, or are you too stupid to know when you're beat?"

            "Hah!" returned Gonzo, a bead of sweat slipping between the furrows of his brow.  "Big talk for one whose team is down by one, yeah?  A lot of good all those gum-drop muscles did your brother when Zuko fell him!"  

            "Zuko," seethed Flammy, "is a liar and cheat—a _dirty_, _stinkin' _cheat…."

            "Better than a razor-nosed snake who doesn't know when to shut his bloody yap!"

            "Why you!"

            Link grimaced as once again the exchange devolved into a swearing bout.  His grandmother had always disapproved strongly of the use of swears, so rarely did the boy ever partake in them.  Even then, hundreds of miles away from home, on a ship filled with foul-mouth sailors, Link could not bring himself to say anything above the "B-word"—bastard—and even then he saved it for particularly taxing situations.  Now, in the midst of a verbal onslaught between two very angry men, the boy had come to realize that there were words much, much, _much_ worse than the B-word—S-words, A-words, the dreaded F-word, and even L and V-words that he didn't even know existed!  Link thanked the Gods that his grandmother was not there to hear them….

            After several minutes of mindless insult, Flammy lowered his head and took the conflict to another, more dangerous place.  When he spoke, his voice was dry and low.  Link couldn't help visualizing Orca's sword sitting at the bottom of his boat, out of reach, as he listened to the Zarep's threat.

            "Pirate, I swear to you, if you insult my family one more time—"

            Flammy did not flinch.  "You'll what?" he asked, snarling.  "Kill me?  I would love to see you try…."

            Link watched as Flammy's expression changed at the mention of death; it was as if some of the anger had diminished in his eyes, replaced by a gaze that was both distant and vacant.

            It was a change that lasted only a moment.

            "You're crazy, pirate.  The only person thinking about killing is you.  I wouldn't go farther than beating you within an inch of your life, which is what will happen if you insult my family one more time—"

            "You should talk!  Ever since you boarded our ship, you Zareps haven't showed us even a drip of respect—"

            "Oh, just because we don't stick our tails between our legs and whimper at the sight of you in the halls?  Because we dare to walk around with dignity, as men?  Besides, why in the _hell_ should any of us show even a _speck_ of respect to a banana nosed ogre like yourself—"

            It was then that Gonzo said something _really_ bad.

            Link slowly turned to the rapidly reddening mass of wrinkles and teeth that was Flammy's face.  

            "W-w-what did you say?!"

            Before Gonzo could repeat his curse, Flammy began reciting a list of ill-deeds allegedly committed by the pirate's family members.  Link gasped as the Zarep outlined, point by point, why Gonzo's mother was a _very _bad woman.

            Not to be outdone, Gonzo offered a case of his own, proving, without a shadow of a doubt, that Flammy's mother was the source of all venereal diseases.

            Link had long since given up on officiating the match and had resigned himself to watching as both men tried to pale the redness of the others face.  It was getting to the point that Gonzo's entire body was approaching the same color as his nose!  As a result, the two men were beginning to look more and more alike as time passed and fury increased to vein-popping proportions.  

            In the case of Gonzo the pirate, it seemed that the only thing fueling his limb in the face of Flammy's overwhelming strength was his rage.

            However, just as it had happened in the previous match, at the moment when all seemed lost for the pirate, something unexpected happened—Gonzo broke Flammy's nose.  His blow came at such an incredible speed that the only witness, the young judge with the burning ears, perceived it as only a quick vibration of the air followed by the appearance of Gonzo's arm spanning the distance between his shoulder and Flammy's face like a bridge of muscle and sinew—a marble monument to schoolyard violence.  

            Then they parted, the fist from the face, a highly pressurized ribbon of blood leaping from the Zarep's right nostril, hovering in the air like a crimson mist, as the body from which it came crashed onto the floor with a sound only a slab of flesh could make.

            Everyone—Link, Cruton, Zuko, Tetra, Nudge and Joe—stopped dead in their tracks to witness the beginning of what would surely end in a fight to the death.  

            Despite the fact that their brother was lying on the ground bleeding, the three remaining Zareps did not come to his aid.  Even more surprising was the fact that Tetra, who normally didn't tolerate violence of any sort amongst her men, said nothing.  She just stood there, eyes wide, mouth agape, not believing what she heard come out of the mouth of Flammy Zarep shortly before being knocked out.

            What he said to Flammy had been _so_ vile, _so _mean-spirited, _so _unspeakable that it bordered on sacrilegious.  No one on that boat, nay, no one in the entire Great Sea could fault Gonzo for what he did that night.  

            He approached the still body and motioned Link to wake him.  Visibly shaken by the sudden violence (and the preceding curse) Link stared at the pirate, hesitating.

            "Come boy," said Gonzo cradling his wrist, " we can't just leave him there, yeah?"  His severe expression eased into a weary smile.

            Somewhat relieved, Link kneeled down and began calling Flammy's name.  The Zarep responded by snoring loudly.

            "Slap him in the face." suggested Gonzo.

            Linked looked at him wildly.  _Was he crazy…?_

            Junior and Cruton walked toward their brother.

            "Yeah, that should do it, alright." said Junior matter-of-factly.

            Cruton craned his head to inspect Flammy's nose, then looked to Link.  "Yeah, this happens more often than you probably think.  A good slap to the cheek oughta wake him right up."

            Still in the middle of his own match, Joe took the time to ask if Flammy was alright, to which Cruton replied, "Yeah, yeah…"

            Forsaking his better judgment, Link struck Flammy across the face and rolled backwards as the large man lurched forward and clutched his still bleeding nose.  After a while, he looked to Gonzo with murderous eyes.

            The pirate took a step forward and stood inches away from the Zarep.  Those watching looked on with bated breaths.

            Finally, Gonzo spoke.  "You know, Flammy, there are some things in this world that I can take and others that I can't.  One of them is hearing filth spoken in front of a lady," he pointed to Tetra; the young captain rolled her eyes, "now I've endured plenty of that tonight, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that someone would dare say that-that _filth_ that you said in the presence of not just a lady, but a _child_…"

            Tetra started what sounded like a protest, but Gonzo continued.  "You should be ashamed."

            Still glaring at the pirate, Flammy clutched his nose and with a sickening pop returned it to its original location.  Breathing hard through the pain, it was a long time before he responded.

            "So—is that how you feel about it, then?"

            Gonzo lifted his head.  "Yeah, I do."

            Flammy nodded his head with that same vacant stare as before.  It was if he were looking past Nudge.

            "Fine," he said finally, "I'm sorry then."

            Link's jaw dropped as a smile spread across the Zarep's face.  He turned to Gonzo, who, amazingly enough, was also smiling.  He didn't seem very surprised at the sudden turn of events at all.

            He offered his hand to Flammy, who stared at it for a second before taking it.  As he rose from the floor, he commented on how Gonzo had a "pretty good right hook."

            The pirate chuckled.  "So, no hard feelings then?"

            "Nah," said Flammy, reaching for his towel, "I would've done the same—I crossed the line."

            "Well, maybe just a little… let's go watch Nudge win, shall we?"

            "Hah!  That'll be the day…  By the by, you wouldn't happen to have any red potion handy, would you?"

            With that, the two men—one of whom was bleeding profusely into a towel—walked off, laughing and joking as if they were old friends.

            Alone, Link stood limply thinking about what had just occurred.  Then he announced that "by way of disqualification due to illegal knock-out" Flammy Zarep was the winner of the second match…

            Although, in reality, he wasn't really sure of anything after that…

            Inwardly, Tetra was saddened by what she saw.  Nudge's arm trembled from exertion yet made no progress.  His body seemed ready to collapse—every muscle was taut, the veins of his wrist seemed ready to burst, sweat glistened off his flesh like a second skin.  And yet, it was not enough.  Nothing the pirate could do would stop Joe's advance.  It saddened her greatly to see him succumb without ever really having a chance.

            Outwardly, however, her expression was impartial.  It was important that neither side, the Zareps, particularly, perceived a bias on the part of the judges—any notion of foul play would only serve to exasperate what was already a tense situation.  She just stood there waiting for the inevitable fall.

            A droplet of sweat slipped from Nudge's nose and onto the wooden table where it pooled with the other drops.  His head hung low, like Zuko's had, but not in defiance.  Exhaustion was overtaking him.  All of his being was being channeled into his right arm, leaving little for anything else.  His breath came in shallow heaves.

            Tetra's eyes turned to Joe.  His face was blank.  There was no anger in his eyes, no joy, no hunger for victory, nor fear of defeat.  Just a blank stare directed at Nudge who sat there crumbling before him.  No sympathy.  No weakness.

            Throughout the entire match, save for the one moment in which he asked for his brother, he had not spoken a single word.  Not once since the instance when he and Nudge first locked hands did his look ever waver.  

            Joe was a sign with no writing, that pointed nowhere.

            Behind her, Tetra heard Flammy and Gonzo whispering to each other.

            "Your boy's putting up a pretty good fight, Gonzo, but he doesn't look too well.  Perhaps the Cap'n should put a stop to it?"

            "Can it, Flammy, we ain't gonna give it to you that easy."

            "Guess I can't fool you, now can I?"

            "Yeah."

            "Seriously though, he does look quite bad."

            "Yeah."

            "But you're right, she shouldn't stop it.  It wouldn't be right."

            Tetra looked to Nudge again.  His faced was hidden beneath his hair, which hung like wet rags in the sun.  His arm was shaking less now; he was quickly approaching a forty-five degree angle.

            _What's so wrong with stopping it now?_ thought Tetra.  _Don't tell me these Neanderthals are still caught up on that whole_ pride_ and _honor_ thing…_

She peered to the right of her where Link sat kneeled beside Nudge.  He was offering words of encouragement, urging him not to give in, to fight, fight, fight—basically what she herself would have been doing had she not been judge.  

            The look in his eyes, however, were alien to her.  There was sympathy, yes, but with it were glimmers of fire—fraternal emotions of pain, blood, and war.

            Admiration…

            Link admired Nudge for fighting a losing battle.  Perhaps he even dreamt of doing so himself one day—perhaps he already had…

            _Men are such idiots…*_

Nudge's arm was now past the half-way point.  

            "Come on, Nudge, don't give up!" shouted Zuko.

            Surprised by his uncharacteristic outburst, Tetra stared at the usually quiet pirate.  Zuko was normally one of the most level-headed and rational members of her crew.  That he could prescribe to such outdated concept as honor puzzled her.  The ferocious look in his eyes startled her.      

            She looked around.  That same look was on everyone's faces.  Pirate or Zarep, it made no difference.  There was a battle afoot and, as men, they were bound to participate, even if it meant doing so indirectly.  Her men cheered on their champion, and even in the expressions of the three invaders, there gleamed the passion of suffering.

            It was on the face of every man present—save for Joe.  Never Joe.

            Nudge's wrist was less than an inch away from the rag.  The encompassing roar grew dimmer as the end neared.

            As if in accordance with the cheer of his supporters, Nudge's breathing also slowed until it seemed as if it had stopped all together.  Several moments passed in which his body was still.  Tetra and the others slowly looked to him—what happened?

            Before anyone could voice his or her concern, Nudge's body heaved violently.  His back and chest expanded like a barrel filled to bursting, its copper rivets shivering from the stress.              Then came a low rumbling from deep within his lungs.  A rattling growl that was both an expression of rage and sickness.

            For the first time Joe's face changed.  His eyes grew wide and his teeth were bare as Nudge's arm began trembling beneath him.  And it moved!

            "Go, Nudge!"

            "Yeah, Nudge, yeah!"

            "You can do it!"

            "Come on!  FIGHT!"

            "Keep going, you filthy pirate!"

            Tetra turned to Junior in surprise.  He simply smiled at her before cupping his hands and shouting to Nudge: "Things are finally getting interestin'!  Get the lead out, Nudge!"__

Nudge clenched his teeth and eyes and seethed as the union of hands approached and passed the half-way point.  For the first time since the match had begun, the pirate was on the offensive and Joe did not seem prepared for that…

*Before you guys get up in arms about this, know that I myself am of the male species and don't particularly agree with this statement.  It's Tetra talking, after all—if she lived in our times, she'd probably have a crew-cut and play golf for a living…

…just kidding.

On the next chapter of _The Wind Waker 2_, a hand falls, a secret will be unearthed, and puppy love takes an ugly turn towards Hurtsville.

Expect it Spring 2004…

…just kidding (part 2…)


	13. I Hate You

**Author's Note**:  It's been a while but I'm back.  Sorry for the delay, but between having my house broke into, worrying over my grandmother's surgery and writing research papers, I haven't had much time to devote to this story.  I've probably lost my entire readership, but oh well…  Those who are still here, enjoy.

Chapter 13 – I Hate You 

            Nudge screamed through locked teeth.

            All in attendance, the once cheering mob, stood in silence as the pirate's arm pushed Joe into the kill-zone.  Never before had any of them witnessed such a feat of sheer determination go so far.

            Nudge was fighting on pure will—and he was winning…

            Hours later, Link and Tetra were in her room.  The excitement of the competition had carried over into their conversations, inspiring the young captain to challenge the boy to an arm wrestle of their own.

            "You're joking, right?" asked Link, incredulously.

            Tetra placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.  "Are you?"

            Soon, Tetra had brought over a stool from her reading desk, and atop that stool she laid a purple cushion for their elbows.

            Kneeling on opposite sides, Tetra glared at an already overwhelmed Link.

            After a while, she slowly brought her elbow to the cushion and opened her palm towards him.

            "Ready?"

            Link looked to the hand; then to Tetra; then to the hand again.  Memories of ale filled his mind and he hesitated before finally bringing his left arm to the stool.

            "Oh, yeah," said Tetra meekly, "I forgot."  She switched her arms.

            "Won't this put you at a disadvantage, though?" asked Link.

            Tetra's response was short and brash.  

            "All the better."

            They touched hands.

            "Go, Nudge!  Go, Nudge!  Go, Nudge!"

            The cheering had begun anew, louder than before.  The booming chants of the men rumbled from below and could even be felt on the deck.  To Nudge, however, the voices of his crewmen were nothing compared  to the sound of if his own frenzied heart drumming between his temples and the wheezing of his lungs within his chest.

            The pain was quickly becoming unbearable  His arm felt as if fishing line had been tied around it and pulled until it seeped through his flesh and into his muscles.  He was reaching his absolute limit.  

            Joe's knuckles were now three inches from the table, his wrist, closer still to the folded rag.  One more push would put him over the edge… but at what cost?  Already, he would not be able to use his arm to work for at least a couple of days.  What if he tore a muscle?

            Those thoughts amounted to nothing more than a momentary fear, however.  What was at stake was bigger than mere work.  Dominance had to be shown.  He, Gonzo and Senza had to show the Zareps that _they_ were in charge—strength be damned!  Only then could there be order on the ship.  The chain of command had to be upheld…

            Nudge prepared for the final charge.  He drew in one last breath and released it as a deep hum emanating from his throat.  At this, the others quieted once again, sensing that something big was about to happen.

            Joe lifted his head slightly.  He could sense it too.

            Below one floor, Niko opened his eyes momentarily before falling back to sleep.  He had heard what sounded like Nudge screaming in agony.

            _Nightmare…_

            "What are you doing?"  

            Link looked up innocently.  "What?"

            "You're letting me win."

            "No, I'm not," said Link, "look."  

            He pointed to their gripped hands; they hovered in and around the mid-point lamely.

            "Yes, you are," returned Tetra, becoming annoyed, "You're not pushing."

            Link cocked an eyebrow.  "And how do you know that?"

            Tetra slammed the boy's hand over the edge of the stool, sending him tumbling across the room.

            "Call it a guess…"

              
            "N-no—" The crowd died down again as Nudge stammered in disbelief.  "No…"

            Joe's arm had stopped.  Mere inches from the folded rag, it just stopped.

            Zuko pounded on the table, urging Nudge to summon fight where there was none.  Gonzo simply looked to Junior and Flammy in disbelief; the two Zarep's looked to the ground in silence.

            With an expression like a sheet of paper crushed into the image of a fist, Joe shook his head from left to right, slowly, as if to say, "No.  That's enough."

            Link looked on in horror as Joe's hand began to rise.

            Link rubbed his neck as he pondered what he had done wrong.  He had only tried to be polite.  What kind of gentleman would slam a lady's fist into the ground?

            Link looked to Tetra from across the stool.  She watched exasperatedly as he slowly licked his wound.  She seemed eager to begin again.

            "Give me a second, will you?" responded Link to her silent egging on.  "It hurts."

            Tetra smiled viciously before half-whispering, "Poor baby… want me to kiss it better?"

            Link's heart jumped as it had in the bar when the young captain had taken his hand in hers.  Even with the sarcasm dripping from every syllable, her words sent shockwaves coursing through his body.  He fought back a blush courageously.

            However his excitement was tempered by an uncomfortable feeling of smallness.  Link didn't like how Tetra talked to him as if he were a child and she so much older.  As of late, he had gotten the distinct feeling that she was playing with him.  He didn't like it—it wasn't like her…

            ...then again, yes it was, but usually it was different.  Usually, he only pretended to be afraid of Tetra.  Now, he actually kind of was…

            …sort of…

            Instead of acknowledging her offer, Link simply extended his hand towards her.  Unlike before it was taut and ready.  Tetra looked to him approvingly.

            "Alright then!" she exclaimed before taking it.  "Shall we begin now… for real?"

             Link nodded, trying to push the feel of her palm out of his head.  It felt so different than his own, softer.  Looking at her face, a flame of determination flashing across her black eyes, he thought of how her palms were so unlike the rest of her…

            …then Link felt Tetra's hand squeeze around him…

            _Actually, _he thought, _they're really not all **that** different…_

            "Yeah," said Link finally, "let's begin."   

            Niko rushed into the mess-hall wearing only his sea-shell nightgown and his sleeping cap.  The other pirates turned from the arm-wrestling match and stared at him wildly.  The startled swabby turned from face to grimaced face before finally speaking.

            "What the hell's going on?!  Is someone hurt?!"

            Another scream echoed through the ship like the one that had woken Niko moments before, this time accompanied by a wild beating sound, like a drum.  It seemed to be coming from the center of the crowd.  

            The spectators quickly turned their backs at an increasingly fearful Niko.

            "W-what the hell?" he stammered.  "Is that—is that Nudge?"

            The pirates continued to ignored Niko as another wail filled the air, more pained than before.  The pounding was getting fainter.

            Becoming disturbed, Niko ran to where Gonzo was standing and tugged on his shirt.  At first, the giant pirate didn't seem to notice, instead peering over Cruton's shoulder anxiously.  The diminutive pirate tried again, three times, before Gonzo finally turned to him with a startled look on his face.

            Niko did not like the way his eyes seem unfocused, as if looking past him.  He hesitated before saying, "What the hell's going on Gonzo?  Where's Nudge?"

            Gonzo looked around wildly as if trying to focus his thoughts.  He said "um" several times before nodding his head over Cruton's shoulder.

            Realizing that was all he was going to get, Niko turned to the direction where the screams were coming from.  Blocking his way were the backs of both Cruton and his brother Junior.  Taking a deep breath, Niko decided to make his move.

            The Zarep brothers gasped as the little pirate burst past, falling before them in a heap.  Niko slowly rose, rubbed his nose painfully, and found himself standing next to Link.  Forgetting for a moment why he had come, he looked to the boy dazedly.

            "Hey, Link." He said absent mindedly.

            The boy turned to him with a confused look on his face.  He was about to say something when a scream louder than any that had came before shook all those present, including Niko.

            Suddenly out of his daze, he turned to the table before him.  The small pirate gasped as he watched Nudge pound the wooden planks with his fist, a cloud of sawdust and splinters exploding with each blow.  His left hand was bruised and red; everything seemed ready to break.

            As Niko stood their amongst his crewmen, now understanding and sharing in their silence, he did not see Joe, the flaring of his nostrils, the red strain in his eye as he channeled his being into his right fist.  Nor did he see Nudge, his friend, screaming through clenched teeth, his face locked in an ungodly expression of pain and struggle.  

            All he saw was what everyone else was seeing: the locked hands of Joe and Nudge, crimson and trembling an inch above a folded rag as a single bead of blood appeared from within their grasp, dripping down below and turning it red.

            Link and Tetra sat silently across from one another; they had yet to move the stool and the satin pillow still laid dented between them.  As always, Tetra was the one to break the silence.

            "Can I tell you something?"

            "Sure." Said Link, tensing slightly.

            Tetra straightened herself against the bed, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.  She searched for the words.

            Link, sensing her anxiety, asked, "Is there something wrong Tetra?"

            She looked at him surprised, as if she had forgotten he was there.  "Me?  No.  No.  I'm okay… it' just…"

            Link nodded for her to continue.

            "I just—I didn't think you'd beat me that bad…"

            "What?  At the arm wrestling?"

            Tetra rolled her eyes.  "What else?"

            Link pretended to shrink back despite enjoying the fact that for once he was the one making Tetra feel a bit uneasy and not the other way around.  

            "I'm sorry, Tetra.  I wanted to take it easy on you, but you wouldn't let me." 

            Tetra glared at Link with killing eyes.  The boy felt himself shrink back for real.

            "You idiot!  I didn't want you to take it easy on me!"

            "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

            It was several seconds before the young captain managed to calm herself down.  Taking one more mean look at Link, she continued.

            "That wasn't what I meant.  I appreciated that you didn't hold back this time.  It's just that, well, I wasn't really expecting you to beat me at all."

            Link sat silently for a moment.  "Come again?"

            "Don't take this the wrong way—I'm not trying to insult you, really—but I didn't think you were all that strong.  I thought I'd beat you, no problem."

            Link looked about ready to laugh and cry at the same time.  "Why would you think that?"

            "I don't know.  You don't really look that strong."

            "I-I don't?" stammered Link.

            Tetra shook her head.  "Like I said, don't take it the wrong way.  You just don't look like the kind of guy that would be all that powerful.  You're…  I don't know—_softer_, I guess.  I don't know how to describe it."

            The boy was becoming angry.  "What do you mean by soft?"

            "Gentle?" said Tetra apologetically, "Kind.  Like you don't have a mean bone in your body…"

            Although still irked by Tetra's admission, Link smiled at the compliment.  "Or muscles, for that matter…"

            Tetra chuckled.  "I guess I forget that you've spent the last couple of months chopping up monsters and saving the world.  Somehow I can't picture you doing it—yet I remember you so clearly when you fought Ganon atop his tower.  It's almost… unreal…"

            Link's mind drifted to that moment when he sunk the Master Sword into the villain's skull.  "Yeah…  I guess you can't swing a sword around for that long without growing _some_ muscle."

            "Yeah," Tetra paused, biting her lip before continuing, "I've been thinking, Link…"

            "Yeah?"

            "Don't you think it's silly?"

            Link knitted his brow.  "What?"

            "That you're so worried about becoming a hero—when you already are one?"

            "What are you talking about?"

            Tetra got on your knees and leaned on the stool.  "Our destinies.  You're always telling me you're afraid about what the future will bring—about what we will _become_—not realizing that the future is here and we are _changing_…"

            Link stood up, startled by Tetra's expression—the same one that had unnerved him before, it now filled him with dread.  Tetra stared at him surprised.

            "Is there something wrong?"

            "Listen to yourself!  Whatare you talking about?"

            Tetra sighed and stood up.  "You see, this is what I'm talking about—"

            "What _are _you talking about?"

            "—you don't understand—"

            "What do you mean we're 'changing?'"

            "—and you're afraid because you don't understand."

            "Understand what?  This is crazy!"

            Tetra moved the stool to the side and stepped forward.  "Link…"

            Feeling trapped, Link jumped back.  Without meaning to he said, "No," in a hushed voice.

            Tetra gasped in response to Link's fear, and a hurt look filled her eyes.  "You're just a little boy!  So immature!  You don't see me crying about my destiny!  You're such a **child**!"

            Link felt his fists tighten.  His eyes felt warm and they stung.  "_I'm _the one who's immature?!  Well, at least I'm not crazy!"

            Tetra seemed tired and headed for her bed, turning his back to him.  "Just leave, Link.  You're obviously not mature enough to accept the future.  Just forget about it."

            Link grimaced as he felt a tear roll down his cheek. 

            "Oh, yeah?" he yelled hatefully, "Well, if accepting the future means crying over the past—"

            Tetra turned around in time to see Link point his finger to a portrait of her mother hanging above her desk.  Tears had welled up inside her eyes before he had finished speaking.

            Blinded by his own indignation, Link finished viciously, "—then you can keep your blasted future!"  

            Nudge's hand crashed onto the blood-soaked rag, ending the match.  Almost immediately, Link, Tetra and the pirates crowded around their friend, who laid breathing on the table.

            "Quick, get some bandages!" shouted Tetra, sending Niko stumbling off.

            Link sprinted towards the door.  "I've got some blue potion!"

            Nudge's arm twitched as his muscles refused to relax.  It had swollen considerably from strain and it was doubtful that he could move it much if at all.  Nudge groaned as his adrenaline receded and the pain from his ruined arm began in earnest.

            For his part, Joe caressed his arm as he rose from his chair.  It too had been through an enormous amount of stress, though if he felt pain, there was no sign of it on his face.  "That was stupid, Nudge."

            Tetra looked up at Joe.  "Go to hell!"

            The Zarep ignored her.  His words brimmed with a mixture of disdain and sympathy.  "You had no hope of winning, and yet you would lose your arm for what?  A game?  How stupid…"    

            Joe headed for the door, stopping before his brothers as he did so.  "I'm going to soak my arm for a bit.  Are you staying?"

            Junior scratched his cheek.  "Yeah, we should help."

            "It's the least we could do." added Cruton.

            Joe nodded and continued on, descending the stairs as Nudge struggled with his pain.

            "Get out, Link!  Get out!  I hate you!"

            The door to her cabin slammed and Tetra was left alone to cry as her mother's image flickered in the candle light.

            Link stormed out into the night air.  He headed for the King of Red Lions, not noticing Gonzo at the helm.  

            "Exciting night, yeah?"

            Link stopped in his tracks.  He blinked a tear back before facing Gonzo.  "Yeah…"

            "I tell you, I was worried about Nudge for a second…  Thought he was gonna keel over any second, to tell you the truth.  Those Zareps are really something.  Same thing Joe did to Nudge, Flammy was going to do to me if I hadn't broken his face.  Good guy, though…"

            Link smiled against his will.  "How is Nudge?"

            "Sleeping," said Gonzo, "thanks to your blue potion.  I didn't think you could rub that stuff directly on wounds—pretty nifty, yeah?  It's gonna take him a day or two to recover, but he'll be fine."

            "I would've let you use more of it, but you wouldn't let me."

            "What, are you kidding?  That stuff's too expensive to waste!  Nudge can do with a little pain for a while."         

             Link laughed quietly.

            "Where were you heading?"

            Link hesitated a moment.  "Uh, to sleep."

            "Already?  I thought you and Miss Tetra were talking.  Done already?"

            Link hissed at the name.  "I don't want to talk to her right now."

            "Ah no!" lamented Gonzo.  "Don't tell me you two got in a fight…"

            "I'm tired of her always treating me like I'm a baby!" said Link.  "Who is she to boss me around and call me names?"

            "She called you names?"

            Link was silent.

            "Did you happen to call her names back?"

            Link couldn't believe what he was hearing.

            "What was I supposed to do?"

            Gonzo let go of the wheel and walked towards Link.  The boat rocked slightly as the gentle breeze took rein over the sails.  At first, the boy seem scared by the pirate's approach, but as he neared, Link could see that Gonzo meant no harm.

            Standing inches away, Gonzo looked into Link's eyes.  He tried to turn away, but the pirate grabbed him by the chin and gently turned his face back.

            After a while, Gonzo let go and said, "Is Tetra crying, Link?"

            The boy broke down as he felt his eyes water again.  He began to yell.  "What was I supposed to do?  She's always treating me like a _kid_!  She always…"

            Gonzo walked back to the wheel.  Link watched in silence as the pirate ascended the steps.

            Once he had gotten the ship back on course, Gonzo said, "Let me tell you something about Miss Tetra, Link."

            Link rubbed eyes with his sleeve.

            Gonzo took a deep breath as he looked to the sky.  "There was a story Miss Daphnes would always tell Miss Tetra when she was young…"

            Gonzo looked down at Link before continuing.  "Miss Daphnes being Tetra's mother and all…"

            Link nodded.  Gonzo continued.

            "Miss Daphnes would tell her lots of stories, most of them about the lost Kingdom of Old."

            "Hyrule." said Link.

            "Aye," responded Gonzo, "but of all the stories told to her by her mother, Miss Tetra's favorite of all was that of the legendary Sword of Evil's Bane."

            Link thought for a moment.  "The Master Sword!" he said in quiet awe.

            Gonzo nodded.  "It was said that whosoever found that mystical blade would have the power to heal any wound, no matter how deep…  Tetra began searching for that sword after her mother died.  When she finally found it, it was attached to you."

            Link waited quietly for Gonzo to finish.

            "I've known Tetra all her life, Link.  I served her mother and I serve her still, through her daughter.  I'd like to think that I know something about her.  Tetra may seem all spit and fire on the outside, but deep down she's hurting awfully bad.  She was looking for something that could ease her pain in that sword.  What she got instead was you, Link."

            "What are you saying?"

            Gonzo sighed.  "I don't know.  Perhaps she took it as a sign that you were here to help her.  Either way, she's taken a shine to you Link—and Tetra's not one to take a shine with just anyone.  I'm like a father to her and she still treats me like dirt!"

            Gonzo laughed heartily towards the moon.  Link thought about what he had said and was filled with a crushing guilt.  _How could I be so selfish…  Tetra comes to me for help and all I do is make her feel worse about herself…  I'm so… weak…_

"What should I do, Gonzo?"  
            "I don't know, kid.  That's for you to decide.  I just think it would be a shame for you two to waste your time fighting is all."

            Link lowered his head somberly.  "I have to become stronger," he whispered, "for both our sakes…"

            Gonzo strained to hear, but to no avail.  "What was that, Link?"

            "Nothing.  Hey, are the Zarep's still up?"

            Gonzo looked at the boy, confused.  "I think so.  Why?"

            "Oh, no reason!" he started for the door.  "See ya', Gonzo!"

            Link scurried down the stairs before the pirate could even waive goodbye.  
            "But I thought you were going to sleep…"


	14. Exercising the Past

Chapter 14 - _Exercising _The Past 

            Link entered the cargo-hold and was relieved to find the Zarep brothers inside.  He had searched every inch of the ship to no avail and was beginning to suspect that the men had abandoned ship.

            The Zareps did not notice him come in.  Link watched curiously as Junior stood above his brothers, a small watch in hand, as he called out numbers.

            "Forty-one!  Forty-two!  Forty-three—get the lead out Flammy—Forty-four…"

            Below him, the remaining Zarep brothers were arranged in the shape not unlike the Triforce with each oddly positioned man representing a point on the triangle..  Almost horizontal to the floor, the men supported themselves with only their hands and the tips of their toes.  With each successive count, they lowered themselves to the ground only to rise, over and over and over again.  Strapped to their backs were small barrels that Link recognized as holding either sugar or salt.  

            For the life of him, the boy could not tell what the Zareps were doing, but continued to watch in silence as Junior finished the count.

            "Fourty-nine, and… FIFTY!  Good job, guys, you're free to collapse now."

            As his brothers crumpled to the ground, Junior turned around, took a step, and saw Link.  He folded his arms and smiled good-naturedly.

            "Here to cuss us out, kid?"

             Cruton, Flammy and Joe looked up from the floor but seemed too tired to say anything.

            Link took a deep breath.  "No," he said in a voice lower than usual, "I'm here to get stronger.  And my name's not 'kid'—it's Link."

            Junior looked to his shoes, mocking embarrassment.  "My mistake.  What makes you think I can make you stronger, Link?"

            Link pointed a hand towards his brothers.  "Watching you guys tonight, that's what.  I want to know your secret.  How is it that you're so much stronger than even Nudge?"

            Junior swept his hand  backwards, mimicking Link.  "You're looking at it."

            The boy raised an eyebrow and stared at the three tired Zareps.  "You mean strapping barrels to your back?"

            "Yes—I mean, no!" stammered Junior, caught off-guard; Cruton laughed, appreciating his quickness.  "Well, that's a part of it.  The key is exercise."

            "Ex-her-size…" said Link, trying out the word, "what's that?"

            Junior craned his head in surprise.  "Well, uh, it's…" 

            "Is it like training?" asked Link.

            Junior had been busy thinking and hadn't heard what the boy said.  "Come again?"

            "Is it like training, you know, to fight?"

            The Zarep pondered it for a moment and nodded his head.  "Yep, it's just like that.  Except you don't do it to learn how to fight…"

            Link looked confused.  "What do you do it for, then?"

            "Strength, I suppose," said Junior, conceding, "to get stronger.  Guess that's right up your ally, eh kid?"

            "Sure is," said Link rubbing his hands, "so when do we begin?"

            Now it was Junior's turn to be confused.  "Begin what?"

            "My training," said Link brightly, "oh, I mean, my _exorcising_…"

            Junior brought a hand to his mouth and suppressed a laugh.  Walking over to a piece of paper atop a crate, he looked to his clock and wrote something down.  Link stood waiting anxiously for his answer.

            Finally, Junior said, "Come back tomorrow at midnight.  We're done for tonight."

            Link bowed happily.  "Thank you, sir."

            Junior motioned for the boy to leave.  "Can the 'sir-bit,' Link.  From now on, you call me Junior like everyone else…"

            "Sure thing, Junior."

            "And for your information, you're going to be _exercising _tomorrow, not _exorcising_.  Get it straight."

            "Yes, Junior."

            "Alright, see you tomorrow."

            Joe watched as the boy in green left excitedly.  When he was gone, he turned to his older brother, smiling.  Junior looked back, then to the others, before laughing.

            "Can you believe that kid?" he said.  "_Exorcising_…"

            Joe shook his head.  "Yeah, I wish…" 

            From out of the black came a lingering creak as the door opened.  In that instance, below the edge of his blindfold, the man saw a glimmer of light shine and fade.  The door closed with a gentle click.  The man could feel his chest tightening as he once again found himself in darkness.  The latch locked into place with a loud tap.

            "There," said a voice, "we won't be bothered this way."

            The man opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry and his voice quiet and coarse.

            "W-who… Who… are you?"

            Footsteps.  The man listened as the sound of boots—like a heartbeat—passed across the room.  They stopped to the left of him.  

            The bound man flinched as a match was struck and a new light shone from below.

            "That's better," said the voice, "now let's just take this off then."

            More footsteps, then the sensation of hands on the back of his head, the loosening of cloth, then light.  The man closed his eyes as direct light hit them for the first time in many hours.  After several moments of blinking, they focused again and the man saw before him a dark figure silhouetted by the glow of a large candle.  It shone in stark contrast to the surrounding black.

            The figure tossed the blindfold to the side and, bringing a chair from the corner table, took a seat before the bound man, mere feet away.  He brought a foot to his knee and crossed his hands over his leg congenially.

            After several beats, the man cleared his throat and began to speak in a quiet, gentlemanly voice.  

            "So.  You're name is Brynn Goldu is it not?"

            Mr. Goldu nodded his head and grunted hoarsely.

            "Good." said the figure. "Good."

            "What do you want?" croaked Mr. Goldu.  He swallowed painfully.

            The figure tilted his head to the side curiously.  "Are the ropes too tight?"

            Mr. Goldu's jaws squared as his limbs strained against their bindings.  The plain black chair in which he sat stood rigidly bolted to the floor.  Behind him, his wrists were raw from struggling with the rope.  His ankles were tightly bound to the two front legs and his waist was anchored to the back of chair.  In short, he couldn't move.

            "Bastard." said Mr. Goldu before spitting a stream of blood-stained saliva.  The wad landed in the lap of his captor's navy blue pants creating a purple stain.  The figure grimaced at the spot, pulling out an embroidered handkerchief from his back pocket stiffly.  He looked at the man as he patted his bloody spit dry.

            "My men really did a number on you didn't they?" said the figure sympathetically.

            Mr. Goldu just stared at him defiantly.  A butcher by trade, he was used to the sight of blood and the fact that his own was dribbling down his neck did not faze him.  His fingers ached to grasp the small butcher's prong lining the inside of his boot.  He smiled slightly as he imagined the neat puncture wound it would put in his captor's thick neck.

            The man in the captain's pants tossed his handkerchief to the side and blew gently on the stain before speaking to Goldu again.

            "Not in a talkative mood, I see." said the man.  "That's unfortunate.  You could've saved yourself a lot of pain by simply telling us what we want to know."

            Goldu narrowed his eyes.  "What are you talking about?"

            The man glared at Goldu for several seconds.  He uncrossed his legs, planting them firmly on the floor.  He then leaned over so that his face was roughly a foot away from his captive.

            When he spoke again his words were slow and deliberate.  "Do not play dumb—I am not as kind as my men in my interrogation practices."

            "Interrogation?" exclaimed Goldu.  "What interrogation?"

            The man stared silently at the butcher.

            Goldu continued.  "The only time your men opened their mouths was to spit and curse me between beatings." he said, trembling with fury.  "If you consider that to be 'interrogation,' then I have only two words for you…"

            The man ignored Mr. Goldu's curse, his expression remaining the same save for his eyes which expanded for an instant before becoming slits again, like two stars going nova in the same constellation.

            "Is that so," said the man in a gravel-low voice; he tapped his index fingers on his legs, "would you excuse me one moment?"

            Mr. Goldu followed the man as he quickly walked out of the door, slamming it behind him.  The candle flame flickered and died from the force and the bound man once again found himself in darkness.

            It was a peculiar end to an uneventful day.  One moment he had been closing up shop—cleaning the last of his knives, no less—the next he was being "escorted" by a gang of surly looking sailors to a sleek vessel docked in the bay.

            Mr. Goldu grimaced as his mind was filled with images of his wife, Lon, standing by the door of their apartment house searching the faces of passersby for her husband as their children slept.  His eldest son, Bron, would be out looking for him by now.  Goldu prayed to the Gods that he did not find him…

            The door opened slightly with a small creak.  Mr. Goldu turned to the frame of yellow light and the sound of a man speaking.  His voice was hurried and desperate.

            "…he's lying.  No captain, n—"

            Goldu closed his eyes as someone familiar burst through the door and landed in a heap before him.  The man in the tattered pirate's clothing coughed as he struggled to lift himself from the ground.

            "Stay right there!" came the voice of Goldu's captor.  "Don't you move!"

            The man froze on all fours and out of the corner of his eyes looked to a horrified Goldu.  Even in the dark the butcher could see that the man's arms were trembling.  A streak of blood glistened from the corner of his mouth.  Goldu bared his teeth as he recognized the man as the person who had ordered his beating.

            The man in the captain's pants appeared at the door and leaned against the frame.  Goldu could see his shadow bob up and down as he tried to catch his breath.

            "Remember him?" he asked.  "Was it him?"

            Surprised by the question, Goldu hesitated to answer.

            The figure of the man took one last deep breath and began to walk towards the pirate.

            "Well!?" he barked.  "Was it!?"

            Goldu looked to the man again.  The face that had been so jubilantly cruel mere hours ago was now overrun with an expression of pleading terror.  His eyes seemed to whisper, "Please don't tell him—for the love of God…"

            Seeing Goldu's fixation on the man's horrified face, the Captain swiftly dug his foot just below his rip-cage.  The bound man watched as the pirate writhed, choking on his pain.

            Above him, the Captain swept back his dirty blond hair revealing fine, aristocratic features.  He glared in disgust at the filth below him.  Then he fixed his gaze on the butcher.

            His nostrils flared with anger.  "Still not in the talkative mood, I see."

            Goldu half screamed as the Captain grabbed the man by the back of his collar, twisted, and thrust his face towards him.  His legs struggled to support his weight and for a moment it seemed like he was going to choke on his own shirt.

            "Sit up, wretch!" screamed the Captain, reaching behind him.

            Mr. Goldu's eyes grew wide with fear as the Captain drew a pistol and pointed it to the back of the pirate's head.  The only time he had ever seen one was once during an auction his father took him to years ago.  The weapon the Captain held, however, was different.  The one sold at the auction decades earlier was nothing more than a long metal cylinder with a fuse in one end, yet it sold for 8,000 rupees.  The pistol currently digging into the back of the pirate's skull was smaller, with an ivory handle adorned with royal engravings—a fierce looking animal with a bushy mane rearing as tapering flames swirled around him—and a spine of flattened gold running down the spine of the barrel.  Goldu could not imagine its value.  

            The Captain cocked the gun eliciting a whimper from the terrified pirate.  Mr. Goldu sat speechless as the man's face tightened in anticipation, caught between the light of the doorway and the darkness of the room.

            "You don't have to say a word, Mr. Goldu," breathed the Captain, "I can tell by the look on your face that this is the one…"

            "I'm sorry, Captain, I'm sorry—"

            "Shut-up!"

            "I'm sor—"

            The Captain cocked the gun again; if he pulled the trigger now, they would both be dead.  

            "Don't apologize to me," hissed the Captain, "apologize to Mr. Goldu."

            The pirate was crying now.  "I'm sorry!  God, I'm sorry…"

            The Captain slowly removed the pistol from the man's head.  

            "Good," he sighed, "now get out…"  He let go of the man's shirt and the pirate went scampering out the door.

            The Captain stared at Mr. Goldu as the pirate's bloody spit ran down his cheek, mixing with his own.  

            "Now, then," he said, "let us begin the interrogation."

            Mr. Goldu coughed as he landed on the sand.  Behind him he could hear the laughter of the pirates as they wiped their hands.

            "You're lucky, old man.  Cap'n Shin's too merciful for his own good.  If it were up to me, you'd be dead."

            Goldu struggled to his feet.  The pirates watched bemusedly as the aging man turned around.  Only the light from the ship's lanterns overhead illuminated his face..

            "Got a problem, pops?" 

            Mr. Goldu's fists curled inwards as he pondered grabbing his butchering prod and killing as many of the pirates as he could before being cut down.

            Before he could take action, however, a familiar voice thundered from above.

            "Makel!  Tora!  Shark!" he shouted.  "Leave him be!"

            The three pirates gritted their teeth before yelling, "Aye-aye."  They started up the boarding plank, muttering obscenities under their breathes.

            Mr. Goldu looked up to see the Captain towering above him.

            "And you, Brynn Goldu, I suggest you get to your family."

            The butcher nodded slowly before starting towards the spiral path.  In the distance, he could see Windfall's windmill slowly spinning in the scarce breeze.  The events of the last couple of minutes cycled endlessly through his mind.

            "Recognize this man?" Shin had asked, holding a pictograph towards Goldu.  In his other hand, he held his pistol pointed to the ceiling.

            Mr. Goldu squinted at the picture.  It was a shot of more than a dozen burly looking men.  Most were standing rigid with nervous smiles as if this had been the only time in their lives that they had ever had their pictures taken.  A few stood posed in exaggerated shows of strength.  One such flexed man standing near the center of the black and white pictograph had his face encircled in bright red.

            "Well," said the Captain, re-gripping the pistol, "do you?"

            "I can't see in this light." responded Goldu.

            The Captain sighed, then yelled, "Men!" towards the hallway.

            Three mean-looking pirates fumbled into the dark room and stood before Shin anxiously.

            "Sir?" they said, not in unison.

            "Untie this man and bring him to the hall." ordered Shin, walking out the door.

            "Aye, sir!"

            In the light of the hallway, Mr. Goldu stood holding the picture in his hand.  Behind him the pirates stood in a row waiting to carry out a body.  Captain Shin held his pistol pointed squarely at Goldu's forehead.

            "Well?" he threatened.

            Goldu looked up from the pictograph.

            "What do you want with these boys?" he demanded.

            "Ah," said Shin; the hammer clicked once, "so you do know him…"

            Mr. Goldu tightened his lips and looked down at the face of the man circled in red and to the three men at his sides.

            "What business have you with the Zarep boys?" he whispered.

            The captain looked to the butcher wildly.  His laughter rang through the hall crazily; the three pirates, not knowing what to do, began to chuckle nervously.

            The laughing stopped as the pistol hammer clicked the second time.

            "What business do _I_ have with them, you ask?" said Shin, smiling.  "Perhaps the better question is, what business did they have with you?"

            Mr. Goldu stopped to lean against the trunk of the tree that grew at the base of the spiraling path.  He shivered as he recalled the fear he experienced as he gazed into the mad eyes of Shin and his pistol.  How even as he spoke of death their was a tinge of mirth in his voice.

            The old butcher looked over his shoulder and saw as the anchor of Shin's ship emerged from the water.  

            The worst of it had occurred after Mr. Goldu had told him everything—how the Zarep brothers had come to him one day, seeking work; how they labored long hours for the meager pay that he could afford without never once complaining; how they joked with Bron and treated him as if he were their brother; how he later found out that his was only one of the many jobs they worked day in and day out.  But that was not what Shin wanted to know.

            "Where are they now?"

            Pistol now aimed directly at his heart, Goldu broke down.  "The last I heard they had signed on with a ship headed due East." he said in a quiet, defeated voice.

            A victorious smile spread across Shin's face; his teeth were small and white, like pearls.  "Dragon Roost." he hissed.  "Dragon Roost…"

            "What are you going to do to them?" pleaded Goldu as the pirates clasped his arms tightly.

            "I thank you for the cooperation, Mr. Goldu.  For your pain…" he placed a small bag of rupees in Goldu's shirt pocket, patting it gently.  "I thank you."

            The butcher ignored the money.  "What are you going to do to them?"  The pirates began dragging him away.  Shin holstered his pistol and turned around to leave.

            "Let go of me!" writhed Goldu in vein.  "What are you going to do to those good boys?!"

            Shin stopped.  Turning around, he ordered the men to do the same, and stared at Goldu with deadly eyes.  Then he began to laugh again, a slow and joyless chuckle.

            He raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders as if it were all out of his hands.

            "Well," he said with a jokester's tongue, "I'm definitely going to kill one of them…"

            As Mr. Goldu started up the spiraling path, he grasped his shirt pocket with his scarred hands and wondered what was the right thing to do.  Not finding an answer easily, he decided instead to pray for the Zarep brothers.  When he got home he would make sure that his wife and children did the same.

            Especially for Joe.


	15. Almost There

**AUTHOR'S NOTE—**It's been a long time, but I'm back with a new chapter.  For those still with me, sorry for taking so long—it's been a busy couple of months since the last time I updated.  I'll try to be more punctual from now on.  And I'll try to try, okay?  'Till next time.

P4Pancho  

As they neared their destination, the crew of Tetra's ship began, once again, to simmer with excitement.  Following the drama that was the arm-wrestling tourney, a refractory lull descended upon the men as each pirate went about the task of working diligently and productively so as to eek a smidgen of leisure time in the evening to do as they pleased.  For most of the men, most of the time, this meant playing cards in the hold; those who did not play, watched from their crate and barrel-perches while whispering (loudly) that so and so was an idiot for doing whatever it was that he did.  It was a routine that Tetra's boys knew well—the endless, comforting, boring, stable stasis between lootings.  The Zarep brothers, on the other hand, did not, and they made it a point to crack one "So _this_ is a pirate's life" joke per day.

            Only Nudge found himself with nothing to do.  Having refused even a drop of blue potion from Link on the grounds that the stuff was, "Too valuable to waste on nothing," the pirate awoke the next morning with the searing realization that the "nothing" to which he referred to was, in reality, several pulled muscles in his arms.  Nudge now spent his days wandering the ship, arm tightly bound, offering advice to the men lucky enough to be working.  In fact, few things brought him more joy than to sit in front of Joe, sandwich in hand (the good one), and instruct him on how to properly lift a barrel.  

            Link passed the time as best he could.  His mornings and early afternoons were reserved for helping Niko with his swabbing duties, which he enjoyed because, whether he knew it or not, Niko was a funny guy.  From then until nightfall, Link was free to spend his time as he pleased.  Sometimes he would go into the hold to kill a few hours sharpening his sword technique; other times were spent toying around with the Wind Waker in order to discover new melodies and effects.  He had unearthed none so far.  More and more, the young boy found himself heading to the King of Red Lions for a noontime nap; when he couldn't sleep, he simply laid on the Lions' deck and waited until it was time to go to the hold and work-out with the Zareps.  As a rule, when he was not working out, he was bored.  And when he wasn't asleep, he missed Tetra.

            On the surface, their relationship seemed normal enough.  A few days after their argument, Link could glance at Tetra's eyes without seeing glimmers of anger or resentment.  If, by chance, they walked past each other in a hall, they would greet one another with a smile before walking by.  Although it was true that they no longer spent their afternoons talking to each other—and the pirates did note this, even the Zareps—the adults interpreted this as merely a side-effect of intense boredom.  Beneath the surface, however, both Link and Tetra were despairing over the silence.

            _Bumped into him again today,_ read a passage in Tetra's journal.  _He said, "Hey," and walked away.  Jerk…_

"She says 'Hi' to me like I were a piece of furniture or a dog," Link sighed one night to Gonzo, his only confidant.  "Has she said anything about me?"  The boy sighed again as the pirate shrugged sympathetically. 

            On the eve before their arrival at Dragon Roost, however, the fog of boredom and unease was replaced by a pulsing anticipation.  Even Tetra and Link found themselves excited despite themselves.  But nowhere was the new feeling better felt than in the labido of Cruton Zarep.

            "One more day, one more day… one more day…" Cruton half sung, half gasped as he finished his eighth set of push-ups, all voluntary.  

            Junior, Joe, Flammy and Link watched tiredly as Cruton let himself collapse, all the while repeating, "One more day… one more day… one more—"

            "What's up with him?" asked Link, raising the ladel from the water barrel for a drink.  They had just finished the night's work-out, but Cruton refused to stop.  "Why is he saying that?  What's up with all the push-ups?"

            Junior laid slumped against the large barrel of water, half-asleep.  "That's just what he does when he gets excited, kid."

            Link scoffed before taking another ladle-full of cold water.  "He must really be looking forward to seeing Dragon Roost…"

            Cruton mocked Link by making a muffled scoff.  Link turned to a reposed Joe for an explanation.  The pirate sat in a corner as he smoked something pungent.

            "It's not the island he's excited about, Link," he said, "It's the 'scenery.'"

            While Link was looking at Joe, Cruton had snuck up behind the boy quietly.  "That's right!" he yelled in Link's ear, sending him flailing.  "Rito girls!  Rito girls!  Rito girls!"

            Link struggled to regain his breath.  "Wha?"

            Cruton laughed evilly as grasped the edges of the water barrel and flipped into a perfect hand stand.  Link watched slack-jawed as Cruton's back muscles twitched like a living canyon.  There was something sinister about that twitch.

            "Rito girls, my dear boy, Rito girls…" grinned Cruton as his head hovered inches from their drinking water.  "Hot damn little man, one more day 'till Rito girls!"

            "What the hell are you talking about?" said Link, flabbergasted.

            Junior piped in from below.  "Rito women have the reputation of being the most beautiful women on the Great Sea, Link.  But I don't know what he's so happy about—they're damn near unnapproachable.  Most people outside the Roost have never even seen one.  Shoot, I bet some _Rito_ have never even seen the females of their species."

            "Ha!" laughed Cruton from atop the barrel.

            "Kind of like Link as of late, huh?" sniped Flammy.

            "Double-Ha!"

            Link made an obscene hand gesture he had picked up from Cruton.

            "Ha!  Triple-Haaaa—WHOA!"

            The Zareps and Link watched silently as Cruton lost balance and fell to the floor with a muffled thump.  He had landed square on his ass.

            "I broke it…" was all Cruton was able to croak before falling sideways like an "L."       

            Instead of laughing like Cruton's brothers, Link stood up and walked to the door.

            "Where you going, Link?" asked Junior.

            "To get some blue potion," said Link, matter-of-factly.

            Junior smiled hugely.  "Don't bother.  At least this way he'll behave himself tomorrow."


	16. In the Presence of Royalty

Link froze as the sound of Tetra laughing rang out dangerously close.  For the last couple of minutes he had stood in front of a large vanity mirror, shirtless, flexing his newly aching muscles in ridiculous poses.  He had marveled at the slight increase in definition he saw before him, although in reality much of it was due to the nature of the candle light illuminating the room.  Now, in a terrified sprint he lunged for the door, but, realizing that it was too late, turned instead to a mad roll and found himself under Tetra's bed just as the door swung open.

            Several breathless seconds in the dark gave Link ample time to regret the actions that had led up to that point.  He regretted leaving the cargo hold at the time he did, regretted not sticking around to listen to the Zareps tell dirty jokes and curse.  He also regretted noticing as he walked that the door to Tetra's quarters was slightly ajar.  More than that, he regretted the feelings of loneliness, desperation and, ultimately, reconciliation that drove him to open the door in the first place; he resented how the mere thought of speaking a complete setence to Tetra—"I'm so sorry"—gave him a lump in his throat and a gnat in his gut.  Most of all, however, he regretted not leaving the _moment _he saw that the room was empty, opting instead to utilize the only non-filthy seeing-glass on the whole boat to check out his "manly" physique. 

            Link's body clenched as he heard several steps approach the bed.  The boy glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see a pair of familiar boots stand less than a foot away.  They remained there silently for a split-second.  When they disappeared suddenly, Link nearly gasped as the bed groaned above him.

            A few seconds later, the boots returned with a thud as Tetra tossed them over the side of the bed.  Link clenched his teeth as a tired yawn escaped the girl's lips.  There was another groan as, above him, Tetra laid down.  Then silence.

            Trapped beneath the bed, Link close his eyes and focused on breathing as quietly as possible.  Above him, resting perpendicular to his body, Tetra laid with her arm draped across her eyes.  For a moment, she felt herself descend into a deep sleep but caught herself just in time.  She needed to prepare…

            Summoning all of her strength, Tetra lurched forward, planting her bare feet on the ground.  Beneath her, Link stared at the feet and quietly willed them to move to the door.  Another yawn from above and Tetra's feet began to walk toward the mirror where, Link now noticed, mere inches away laid his under-shirt and tunic stuffed messily inside his green hood.  Sitting precariously in the shadow of the vanity mirror, Link eyeballed the green package like a pig does a butcher's knife; it was the instrument of his destruction.

            Link inched slowly towards the edge of the bed to get a better look.  _As soon as she sees it_, he thought to himself, _I'll roll out of here, run out the door, jump on the Lions and be on my way to Windfall before she can say, 'Pervert!'_  Link watched as Tetra looked into the mirror, turning her head and body from side to side to examine every angle.  Link allowed himself a short-lived smile.  _Guess I'm not the only one…_        

            His smile quickly turned into an awed "O" as he watched Tetra remove her vest and toss it neatly on top of his hat, concealing it even more.  Link failed to notice this because no sooner had the vest fallen than Tetra's head emerged from the mouth of her under-shirt which now dangled above her for a moment before being tossed aside with its companion.  Link thought he saw a blur of tanned flesh as he quickly spun his head to the left.  He stared at the wall trying desperately to control his breathing, but it was no good.  _I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be here…_

Slowly, he turned back to the sight of Tetra's bare back as the girl continued to look into the mirror.  In the small time that Link had looked away she had unfurled her tight bun of hair and it now hung draped over her skin like a golden mane.  It swayed gently with each movement of her head, glittering softly in the flickering light and casting ribbon shadows over her body.  Link watched, transfixed, at the sight, his mind torn by guilt and fascination.  He watched as Tetra watched herself, watched as she draped her hair over each shoulder to brush it, watched as she posed—was she practicing?—in several stately positions.  A courtsy here, a bow there and, most repeated of all, a dignfied handshake for all.

After several minutes of this, Link once again turned away as Tetra reached for her pants.  This time, he saw nothing and unlike before he did not want to see anything.  He knew, without fully comprehending, that was he was doing was wrong.  That, if he continued, something awful would happen—he would never be able to look Tetra in the face again.  Something inside him was standing at the threshold of some dark place and he could feel it.  He stared at the wall, teeth clenched, brow furrowed, and listened to the sound of foosteps, the opening and closing of a drawer, the slight russle of fabric, then silence.  Once he figured she was dressed, Link allowed himself to turn again.

Tetra stood with her back against the mirror.  She now wore a pair of purple sleeping pants.  In her right hand, clung the shirt.  It was too late to look away now.  Mercifully, Tetra's hair was slung over both shoulders, covering that which Link had no right to see.  All that was left was her face.  He looked up.

Her face was tilted slightly to the right, her gaze transfixed on the spot where, Link knew, hung the picture of her dead mother.  Her blue eyes*—black in the orange light*—were locked in an expression of determination.  It was a familiar expression to Link; when the two had battled against Ganon above the fields of Hyrule, he had seen that same look in her eyes the first time she drew back a light arrow in his bow.  But now it was different.  Back then, the expression was pure in its fierce tenacity.  The eyes Link now saw seemed clouded by another emotion.  Link could not describe it—was it sorrow, fear, resignation?—but for some reason, when he looked into her eyes, he thought of that night they had shared in Windfall, when a single tear had slid down that determined cheek.

            Link emerged from beneath the bed later that night.  Quietly, he tip-toed to his hat and as he bent over to pick it up, he caught a flash of gold and purple in the mirror.  Putting his clothes back on, he gave one quick look at Tetra as she slept peacefully, her back turned to him.  He thought back to earlier that night when she had stood towering above him, a tanned image of grace, power, and… beauty.

            His eyes then turned to the image of Tetra's mother, Daphnes.  She too towered above Link, sitting regally, like a queen, and her gaze seemed to sift through his being as if he were nothing—like a sword through sand.

*Yeah, I know, they're black in the game.  Ever hear of poetic license?

*There.  Happy?  (Oh snaps, P4P's coverin' all his bases now…)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  Okay, before anyone cries foul—"Sweet Jesus, what have you _done_ with Nintendo's characters?!"—know this: I'm writing a coming of age story (well, I'm trying to write one, anyway) and as such I would be amiss to omit an element of sexuality from the procedings.  I mean, that's what coming of age is all about, right?  Yeah, I know, not quite, but it's a major part.  Just know that my intentions with writing this chapter weren't to inspire the pencils of aspiring doujinshi artists.  This chapter is meant to be more than a scene from "Porky's" starring Link.  To say anymore would suck (funny how one's vocabulary dwindles with fatigue, huh?).

'Till the next chapter. 


End file.
